Since last week, students across metro Atlanta have been protesting the crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by ICE agents.
The “ICE Out Everywhere” protest calls for a day of “no work, no school, no shopping” on Friday, Jan. 30. Additional protests and marches are planned for Saturday and Sunday.
Sandy Springs and Fulton County
North Springs High School students held their ICE protest from 7:30 a.m. to around 8:20 a.m. on Jan. 30. One student organizer, a junior identifying herself as Whitney, said the grassroots effort to organize the protest began last Friday.
Whitney, who led the march and most of the chants, said students reached out to North Springs Principal Scott Hanson last week and met with him on Tuesday, Jan. 27, to discuss how students could express their rights without punishment. Unlike protests at other metro Atlanta schools, students did not walk out of class during instructional time.
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School buses and morning commuters honked their horns in support, while students peacefully marched around the school before classes began. Parents and community members observing the protest said they were proud of the student-led effort and the school administration’s work.
Once students made it to the corner of Dalrymple and Roswell roads, an unidentified man at the Shell gas station across the street started screaming at students to return to school. The man left after a couple of minutes of arguing with Roswell resident Ashley Glass, a Sandy Springs native who drove to the protest to show her support.
Sergio Moreno, a North Springs student documenting the protest for the school yearbook, said a vast majority of students returned to class after students completed the lap along Roswell Road and around the school.
“Everyone did a great job, and it was as peaceful as it could’ve been, except for that guy at the gas station,” Moreno said. “We have some strays who used the protest to skip, and the administration is working on getting them marked for detention. Apart from that, everything went smoothly.”
Hanson sent an email to the North Springs community the evening before the protest, laying out school policy, his expectations, and preparations with students.
“To start with, Fulton County Schools respects students’ rights to free expression and encourages thoughtful, respectful civic engagement,” Hanson wrote. “North Springs does not endorse or oppose the protest activity the students are expressing their opinions about. Disrupting class, leaving campus or class without permission, or participating in a walkout during the school day aside from the agreed-upon time and day will result in consequences consistent with district policy.”
Afterward, North Springs senior Kate Lott, who helped organize the protest, said she’s proud of every student who showed up in a call to abolish ICE.
“It’s so important for our generation to fight for our futures, so to see each and every one of you show up in the cold warmed my heart,” Lott said. “I’ve met so many amazing people and heard from so many incredible voices today that I’ve never met before. As amazing as today was — don’t get complacent.”
Students at both public high schools in Sandy Springs have organized protests this week. On Wednesday, dozens of students at Riverwood International Charter School left class and left campus during school hours to hold a peaceful rally.
When asked about the Jan. 28 walkout at Riverwood, Fulton County Schools Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes said the district encourages school leaders to work with the students at the school level to ensure that student expression occurs in a limited, structured manner consistent with district policy and the Student Code of Conduct.
“As with all student expression, the school’s role is to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment while respecting students’ First Amendment rights. According to the district’s Student Code of Conduct, which is board policy, students must not cause disruption or interfere with instructional time,” the district’s statement says. “Students who engage in activities inconsistent with our policy are subject to student discipline after an investigation and a determination of appropriate discipline has been completed.”
Riverwood officials declined to comment on the Jan. 28 walkout.
DeKalb County
DeKalb County Interim Superintendent Norman Sauce sent out communications to parents and students on Jan. 27 regarding the potential consequences for demonstrating during school hours. 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.
“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.”
Despite the known repercussions, Lakeside High School held another walkout on campus on Tuesday. Its walkout on Jan. 20 drew more than 1,500 students and teachers.
On Jan. 30, walkouts were scheduled at Tapestry Charter High School in Doraville and Arabia Mountain High School, according to Estevan Hernandez, an organizer with Party for Social Liberation-Atlanta. Hernandez said there were at least 75 confirmed school walkouts planned for Jan.30, but that number could increase to about 90 throughout the weekend.
Tapestry, a 6-12 grade charter school, serves about 300 students at its campus on Raymond Drive in Doraville. The population is diverse, with 45.3 percent Black or African American, 42 percent white, 20.7 percent Hispanic/Latino, and 1.3 percent Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander.
“The people of Minnesota demonstrated the power of mass collective action by shutting down business as usual through a general strike,” Hernandez said in a statement. “Schools, workplaces, and commerce were brought to a standstill as thousands withheld their labor and participation, sending a clear message that ICE’s reign of terror will not be tolerated. Here in Atlanta, that inspiration has translated into an unprecedented surge of organizing led by young people.”
Dunwoody High School held a peaceful protest without incident on Jan. 23, according to school officials, and have no plans for another one on Jan. 30.
A Rough Draft reporter arrived to walkout allegedly scheduled for 12:30 pm. at Tapestry High, which was promoted on PSL’s social media, but there were no signs of a protest. A student told Rough Draft the demonstration would happen inside the school’s cafeteria, but Tapestry High’s school officials declined to confirm or comment.
North Atlanta High School
More than 500 North Atlanta High students participated in a school-sanctioned protest and march on campus from around 11 to 11:40 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30.
Rough Draft reporters communicated with students on the ground during the protest. Students said the school made an effort to keep the demonstration appropriate and created an on-campus route for the student march, starting at the athletic field and ending at the main entrance.
Students said punishments are not expected after the school administration approved their peaceful protest.
About 200 Midtown High School students held a walk-out on Jan 29 with no reported incidents. Atlanta Public School’s website does not include any statements regarding a policy about student protests.