Thursday, the New Castle High School Phoenix had the chance to learn more about a potential school walkout on Friday. Senior Abigail Howard—the primary organizer of the event—was requested by the Phoenix for an exclusive interview where we asked her for better clarification on the nature of the event.
But first, the Phoenix wants to elucidate upon what a ‘walkout’ is. In nature, a walkout is when students practice civil disobedience by leaving a school during school hours in order to protest about current events.
According to Howard, the NCHS walkout is in direct protest against the actions and practices of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Like many other schools in Indiana, the walkout intends to bring awareness to recent events concerning ICE. In fact, in Indianapolis many schools congregated for mass protests as seen in the recent article “How fear and empowerment are motivating thousands of Indy students to protest ICE” from the IndyStar.
Howard stated that the motivation to start protesting was cause by “Seeing schools like Anderson do it and a lot of schools in Indy; it really made me feel passionate about it because I didn’t even know it was something we could do.”
Howard clarifies that the event will be a peaceful protest and encourages students to participate in a respectful manner.
Howard notes how she hopes for students to join together in the school parking lot to raise the awareness of other students.
Howard notes how she believes this walkout may conflict with administration of the school, she states:
“I know there are many teachers who agree with us and I know there are many teachers who do not agree with us. I just hope that they allow us to protest what we believe.”
Howard states that she wants students to roam the school after final lunch during the passing period. During this roaming, he hopes students will gather more students for the walkout. After the passing period, Howard wants all the students to congregate near the cafeteria before walking out together during the sixth hour.
Now, regardless if one chooses to participate or chooses to refrain, it should be noted that the NCHS corporation has made a statement about the nature of protests.
A direct quotation from a recent voicemail to parents states, “Students who leave class or campus without permission will be marked unexcused or unverified according to our attendance policy and will face disciplinary consequences outlined in the student handbook.”
The NCHS handbook can be found on the official New Castle Community Schools Corporation website.
Of course, just like journalism, protesting is a first amendment right that students are free to exercise. If someone does choose to protest, then it is their right to do so. Students should just be aware that the school is still allowed to punish students as they see fit.
The NCHS Phoenix neither supports nor opposes the protest and simply hopes to document it in a respectful manner.
