Imagine a group of young students, passionate about a cause, deciding to take a stand—even if it means facing consequences. That’s exactly what happened in Albuquerque, where charter school students staged a walkout to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, despite warnings from school officials. But here’s where it gets controversial: while the students were exercising their right to peacefully protest, they were met with disciplinary threats. Now, the question on everyone’s mind is: Where do we draw the line between student activism and school authority?
On Thursday, middle and high school students at Explore Academy in northeast Albuquerque organized a protest, spreading the word through social media. The plan? To walk out of class around 1:20 p.m. in solidarity against ICE actions. However, school administrators caught wind of the plan and issued a warning to parents, hinting at potential disciplinary measures for students who left campus early. Jacob Kolander, the school’s head administrator, explained, ‘If students choose to leave during school hours, they’re opting to be unsupervised, and parents were notified that disciplinary actions would follow.’
So, what did these disciplinary actions entail? Students could be ‘written up’ for leaving class, and any absence would be marked as unexcused. For some, this could compound existing attendance issues. Yet, many students felt the cause was worth the risk. Chloe Cordova, a student at the charter school, shared, ‘They told us the worst they could do is write us up for skipping class. Most of us decided to take that risk because, in the end, it’s just a write-up.’
But is disciplining students for protesting even legal? According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the answer is nuanced. The ACLU clarifies that schools can discipline students for skipping class, but they cannot penalize them more harshly because of the political nature of their protest. In other words, the punishment must be about attendance, not the message. ‘Schools can discipline you for missing class,’ the ACLU states, ‘but they can’t punish you more severely because of the political content of your protest.’
For many students, the urgency of their message outweighed the fear of consequences. Elias Willey, another participant, expressed, ‘If I don’t stand up for what I believe in, I’ll just be another person saying, ‘Someone should do something,’ while doing nothing myself.’ And this is the part most people miss: these students aren’t just protesting—they’re learning to use their voices in a world that often silences them.
School leaders, however, argue that their concerns aren’t about stifling student voices but ensuring their safety. Students had to walk over half a mile down Osuna Road to a nearby park, which administrators deemed riskier than protesting on campus under the watchful eyes of school staff. ‘We admire that our students are passionate and informed enough to want to make a difference,’ Kolander added. ‘But our primary responsibility is their safety, and we can only guarantee that when they’re on school grounds.’
This situation raises a thought-provoking question: Should schools prioritize safety and rules over students’ rights to protest, or is there a middle ground? Is it fair to discipline students for walking out, even if the protest itself is protected speech? Let’s open the floor for discussion—what do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and let’s explore this complex issue together.
