School Districts: Student Walkouts & Campus Violence Must End
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Is it political frustration or an excuse to misbehave? Several North Texas schools are seeing a jump the number of student walkouts and campus violence in recent weeks.
MacArthur High School in Irving is one of four North Texas schools where evacuations were forced on Friday after students pulled fire alarms and at least two fights broke out in the chaos.
Some students are walking out in protest of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
There've been social media posts circulating that encouraging students to protest, in different ways, this week. One post is encouraging students to bring flags and wear shirts representing their native countries today.
Irving Independent School District Superintendent Jose L. Parra reached out to parents in a letter, saying –
"Regardless of your personal views on current events, I think we can all agree that education must be a priority."
He says students who violate school policies could land in serious trouble. MacArthur High student Manuel Aguirre said students are talking about those punishments.
"They said you would get fined. You will get suspended. You will go to Alternative School. I don't think it's worth it," Aguirre said before offering advice to his fellow students. "If you're doing it for the right reason, go ahead do it: if not, sit down, because you're just doing it for fun."
Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said hundreds of students in his district participated in walkouts last week. He also penned a letter to parents suggesting alternative ways for students to make a statement.
His letter said, in part -
"We believe everyone's opinions can be heard during classroom discussions, while students are in a safe environment and can still freely express their thoughts and feelings."
Hinojosa also asked parents for help to keep their children in class for the entire school day.
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