Students at Miramonte will walk out of classes this Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 2:30 p.m. in protest against recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, including multiple deaths involving federal immigration officers that have sparked national controversy and widespread protests.
The walkout, organized by junior Elina Soong and another student who wishes to remain anonymous, is part of a coordinated multischool demonstration. Students from Acalanes, Las Lomas, Campolindo, and other high schools in the Bay Area. However this is not the first walkout seen in the Bay Area, on January 30, schools participated in a similar walkout. The walkout is intended to draw attention to immigration enforcement practices in the U.S. and demands accountability and policy change.
Organizers have also relied on social media to spread information and coordinate participation. The Instagram account @abolish.ice.mhs has been used to share updates about the walkout, including event details, sign-making opportunties, and the broader goals of the demonstration. The account has helped centralize information and enable a district-wide walkout.
A student leader in each sixth period classroom will initiate the walkout, leading participants to exit class at 2:30 p.m. Students will first gather on the main quad, then march down Moraga Way toward Lavenida Drive, before returning to campus. Organizers have emphasized that the protest is peaceful.
In preparation for Wednesday’s walkout, Miramonte students held a sign-making event on Jan. 31, and are hosting another opportunity to create signs during lunch on the day of the protest.
However, potential walkout participants have raised questions about being marked absent from their classes. The short answer is that students may qualify for an excused absence under California law. According to California Education Code Section 48205(e)(1), “a ‘civic or political event’ includes, but is not limited to, voting, poll working, strikes, public commenting, and political or civic forums.” Because the walkout qualifies as a civic or political event, students are eligible for an excused absence if the attendance office is properly notified.
School administrators have acknowledged the planned walkout; however, teachers and staff must remain neutral regarding student participation. Educators are instructed that they are not to influence students’ decisions to join or abstain from the protest, nor are they allowed to participate in the walkout.
Ultimately, the walkout represents a coordinated student effort to respond to recent national events involving ICE and to engage in the broader debate around immigration policy in the U.S. This is an opportunity for a student led and peaceful demonstration that is in hopes of bringing change.
