‘We see the injustice’: Suburban students pledge walkouts will continue, no matter the consequences

Defying district policies by staging protest walkouts during classes, students at several suburban schools say they remain undaunted in their desire to show solidarity for immigrant families and their allies, despite facing unexcused absences and pushback from classmates.

In what has become a weekly ritual, student walkouts have been held in Barrington, Elgin, Hampshire, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Naperville and other suburbs.

Most have been peaceful, though last week three East Aurora High School students were arrested during a march, leading some residents and a state lawmaker to question police tactics.

The walkouts follow fatal shootings in Minneapolis of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by immigration agents that have fueled protests nationwide.

“We are motivated to protest because we see the injustice going on in other states and in our area,” said Leila Shaqdeh of Naperville, a Neuqua Valley High School sophomore who joined about 250 classmates in a walkout last week.

Students walkouts are not new and have been inspired in recent years by issues such as gun violence in schools and the Israel-Gaza conflict. School districts typically don’t endorse or support such protests but also haven’t cracked down on students exercising their First Amendment rights beyond docking attendance.

Neuqua Valley officials told students via email that there are other ways to protest.

“Civil disobedience has a rich historical tradition, but there are other means for students to exercise their voice: Writing to members of legislatures and governing bodies, participating in community events at times school is not in session, volunteering, or registering to vote,” Principal Lance Fuhrer wrote in an email.

Per school rules and Indian Prairie Unit District 204 policies, “students who miss class are unexcused, and anyone who leaves campus for this purpose will not be allowed back into the buildings during scheduled class periods.”

That warning didn’t deter protesters.

“We ended up saying, no matter what consequences we get, we are going to walk out,” Shaqdeh said.

Two years ago, Neuqua students similarly protested Israel’s war in Gaza. They received unexcused absences for classes missed and were allowed back into the school building afterward, she said.

“This year, they would not let us back in after the protest,” Shaqdeh said, adding, “I think there will be more protests.”

Students who participated in an Elgin High School walkout earlier this month were marked with unexcused absences for the two class periods they missed.

“While these do get put in our record, they don’t mean much in small amounts,” said sophomore Fiona Pitlik. “The penalty for walking out was no worse than it would have been if we had simply skipped class for those periods.”

Pitlik said school administrators supervising the walkout from the sidelines announced that any student who drove off campus could have their parking permit revoked, but that they were free to walk out.

Elgin Area School District U-46 has seen student walkouts at each of its five high schools and even some middle schools over the past two weeks. In such cases, students have been asked to abide by the district’s board policy on student demonstrations, officials said.

“Middle school principals have communicated with parents this week to make them aware of the potential walkouts,” according to Tara Burghart, district spokeswoman. “Parents were asked to speak to their middle school-aged children about the importance of making responsible choices while at school by remaining in the school building and working with building leadership to identify alternative and meaningful ways to express their opinions that ensure safety and continuity of learning.”

Students who leave school during an instructional period are marked with an unexcused absence for any classes they miss.

“As a district, the priority is always the safety, supervision, and well-being of all students,” Burghart said. “During student walkouts, at both the middle and high school level, teachers continue with regular instruction while district and school administration work to maintain a safe and supervised environment for students outside of the school building.”

In some cases, students worry less about school penalties and more about being ridiculed or bullied by peers.

“If anything, it’s the other kids who are shaming us for doing what we feel is right,” said Alex Gutierrez, a senior at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates.

She organized a walkout last Thursday involving dozens of students from Conant and Hoffman Estates high schools.

When Conant students returned to school, another group of students threatened to report them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and were “laughing at us,” Gutierrez said.

“It’s hard to see things like that at school, especially because they talk so much about anti-bullying and mental health,” she said.

Still, Gutierrez said she isn’t intimidated.

“What mostly led me to start organizing protests is being able to make a difference,” she said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today if protesting didn’t continue to make a difference. If someone tells you that protesting does nothing, they are wrong. Don’t let anybody else’s opinion dictate what you believe is right.”