Key points:
• DeKalb County Superintendent Norman Sauce warns student of walkout consequences.
• DCSD students are encouraged to work with their principal or school administration on “appropriate, school-approved” alternatives.
• “Jan. 30 is one step closer towards a nationwide general strike, which can stop ICE killings and kidnappings and Trump’s attacks on our most basic rights.” – statement from PSL Atlanta
DeKalb County’s interim superintendent has issued a warning to students in light of dozens of walkouts denouncing federal administration and immigration enforcement on Jan. 20 and ahead of student protests planned in the coming days.
Norman Sauce sent a letter to DeKalb County families on Jan. 27 with suggestions for alternatives to students expressing themselves through a school walkout, despite their disillusionment following recent fatal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement incidents.
“We understand that recent national events have stirred deep emotional responses for many, including our students. We appreciate that our students have a developed conscience about matters of public importance,” Sauce said in the letter. “Students have the right to free expression; however, that expression must occur in a manner that does not disrupt instruction or compromise their safety, or that of others.”
According to the district’s student code of conduct, walkouts, sit-ins, and picketing are grounds for disciplinary action in proportion to “the severity of the unacceptable behavior, its impact on the school environment, the student’s age and grade level,” among other relevant factors.
DeKalb ICE walkouts
Last week, reportedly more than 1,500 students at the Tucker-area Lakeside High School and hundreds at other nearby high schools participated in the “Free America Walkout,” which condemned President Donald Trump on the anniversary of his inauguration and ICE enforcement. Since the walkouts, the calls to remove tactical immigration enforcement from communities have grown after the fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis ICU nurse.
Activism groups have responded by coordinating several vigils and national school walkouts planned for later this week, according to the Party for Social Liberation-Atlanta. More than 75 Georgia universities and high schools are expected to participate, including Lakeside, Arabia Mountain, and Chamblee high schools.
Related story:
• Hundreds of Georgia Tech students join nationwide protest against ICE
“Jan. 30 is one step closer towards a nationwide general strike, which can stop ICE killings and kidnappings and Trump’s attacks on our most basic rights,” read a statement from PSL Atlanta.
DCSD students are encouraged to work with their principal or school administration to identify “appropriate, school-approved” ways to share their perspectives, according to a DCSD statement. The district suggests facilitated discussions, service activities, or other alternatives that “allow voices to be heard while maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment.”
Lakeside High School
DCSD’s suggestions on the various ways to express dissent with the administration is a helpful way for students to “expand their tools,” but will not stop the walkouts, said Georgia state Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain).
Jackson walked alongside Lakeside High School students and teachers during the Jan. 20 walkout. Lakeside, according to Jackson, handled its walkout well by organizing with administrators and involving teachers. Jackson, who is the sponsor of Senate Bill 389 calling for ICE agents to display badges and ban face coverings on duty, said the students she’s witnessed are inspiring to her, and are prepared to face potential consequences for their act of protest.
“There always have been consequences if we’re looking at people standing on the history and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement,” Jackson told Rough Draft Atlanta. “I encourage students to calculate the cost and decide: Is it worth it? Because sometimes breaking the law is the morally right thing to do.”