Students as Political Pawns

Student Activism and Encouragement from Public School Educators

Across the nation, students are leaving school in protests against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

Whether or not you agree with the activism of these students or their cause, these demonstrations, which begin on public school campuses, show a broader trend where school governance shifts toward partisan political activism at the expense of core academic goals. 

For example, the Los Angeles Unified School District promotes its ‘We Are One’ campaign that protects students and families “regardless of their immigration status.”

From their website, they tout their ‘We Have Rights’ “empowerment campaign to prepare for and safely defend our rights during encounters with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). A series of four animated films in seven languages were created to help immigrants know what to do when confronted by ICE in the most common situations.”

The United Teachers Los Angeles union gave a presentation last year on “Preparing for ICE at your school” that pushed its members to engage in political activism and suggested utilizing school resources to thwart Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Source

Outside extremist activist groups are targeting public school students for their recruitment. One such group is Sunrise Movement, which has ties to Antifa and George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.  Sunrise Movement is planning to continue their activism monthly to spark a “political revolution” across the United States.

"It’s deeply concerning that an outside organization operating clubs inside K-12 schools is training children to help bring about a 'political revolution'," Rhyen Staley, director of Research at Defending Education. Source

By encouraging angry confrontation and activism amongst the students, educators are putting children in precarious positions, where acts of violence are often present, and can occur without prior parental notification.

7 Questions Parents Must Ask During ICE Walkouts

If a school sanctions an anti-ICE walkout during school hours, they are assuming responsibility for the safety of those children during that time, even if they are off-campus.

Question 1. Custody and Supervision

“If the school encourages or permits students to leave the classroom for a walkout, at what exact moment does the school's legal duty of care and supervision end? If a child is injured off-campus during school hours, is the school assuming all risks for traffic accidents, third-party altercations, or missing children?”

Question 2. Viewpoint Discrimination

“By facilitating this specific protest, is the school board prepared to provide the exact same logistical support, security, and immunity from punishment for students who wish to march for opposing causes (e.g., Pro-ICE, Pro-Second Amendment)? If not, how will the district defend against a Viewpoint Discrimination lawsuit?”

Question 3. Unsupervised Minor

"Are students permitted to leave campus property during this walkout? If so, has the school verified that every participating minor has a signed liability waiver specifically for this off-campus activity? How far away from campus are the students permitted to travel?”

Question 4. Instructional Time

“State law requires a specific number of instructional hours per year. Is the district officially counting the time spent protesting as 'instructional'? If so, please provide the curriculum standards this activity meets. If not, how will the school remediate the lost learning time for students who were encouraged to skip class?”

Question 5. Safety & Vetting

“Has the school vetted the external organizers or 'community leaders' who may be meeting students at these protest sites? What background check protocols have been followed for non-district individuals who will have access to our children once they leave the safety of the school gates?”

Question 6. Truancy & Policy

"Does the current Student Code of Conduct list 'walking out of class' as an unexcused absence? If the school chooses not to enforce its own truancy policies for this event, what is the formal legal process for parents to challenge any future disciplinary actions for other unexcused absences, so long as the student cites First Amendment protections?”

Question 7. The Compelled Speech

"What protections are in place for students who choose not to participate or those who support ICE? How is the school ensuring that these children are not subjected to an ‘unsafe hostile environment’ or peer/teacher harassment for their opposition or silence?

Educators should not be fomenting anger and hatred in students to push their own partisan and hostile political agenda on students.  They should not put students at risk of the consequences of educators’ actions, nor should they create division and a hostile environment with other students who do not share their radical beliefs and worldviews.