ICE walkout reduced by board policy

Jacob Pammenter, Sugar Beet copy editor • March 26, 2026

Emmerett White (11), Gwen Bergstrom (9), Sophia Henry (9) and Alyssa Rupp (9) protest at Dean Wiley Park on March 6. They could be seen holding signs and microphones, voicing anti-ICE chants.

Students on Instagram may have seen a post promoting a walkout that took place on March 6. The walkout was planned by unknown students and was not well-known until the day the protest was planned to occur.

“I didn’t know about the walkout until a few days prior, but I knew I wanted to stand up for my community and beliefs,” Sophia Henry, Freshman, said.

Admin was aware the protest was planned, and had a simple set of rules they had to follow.

“There is board policy that is very clear in regards to this planned event: our school board policy does not allow for planned events that involve refusal to go to class, which makes it very clear on where our stance has to be,” Ryan Meng, head principal, said.

This set of rules the school has to follow laid the base for admin’s response.

“We talked with GCPD to make sure everyone would be safe. We had one extra police officer and two district administrators that came up. We stood at the doors to remind students they needed a pass to leave the building,” Meng said.

Principles and coaches lined the main exits of the school after the last lunch bell rang.

“They were guarding every exit. I don’t have a class after fifth period so by the time this protest was happening I was just trying to go home. Three coaches stopped and interrogated me on whether I was allowed to go,” Aiden Valdivia, Arts & Comm. senior, said.

Some students did make it out the doors to perform their protest. Meng voiced that, although he had expectations for students to remain in class, he was glad students who did leave the building acted peacefully. He stated that his biggest concern with the event was keeping everyone safe.

“We fully support students standing up for what they believe in, I think that’s an American ideal, I just hope that everyone understands that the school does have to abide by board policy,” Meng said.

Students who were not excused and still walked out received unexcused absences for their missed classes. Principals decide which absences are deemed excused. For example a student with 20 previous unexcused absences who travels on a week-long vacation could receive more unexcused absences even if the school is notified, simply because they had missed too much school. A student caught leaving campus without a pass is given unexcused absences for hours missed, and usually is given a day in ISS. Permissions and skipping work the same for demonstrations like a walkout.

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About the Contributors

Jacob Pammenter, SB Copy Editor

Jacob Pammenter is an Arts & Comm. Senior. This is his third year as a writer and his first year as a copy editor. Jacob competes on the cross country and track teams. He plays snare with the drumline and drum set with jazz 1. He loves to write, and will talk to anyone about anything. Jacob loves listening to music. He’s always looking for new songs to listen to, and loves getting recommendations. Jacob’s favorite food is anything Italian.

Kailee Uribe, YB Managing Editor

Kailee Uribe is a Public Service junior. She is in her second year of Yearbook and in her first year as managing editor. She loves being involved in school and is a part of band, jazz band, debate, forensics, NHS, and HALO. After high school, she plans to attend university and pursue a master’s degree in nursing with a minor in journalism. Kailee is also a “fun drink” enthusiast so you could probably find her in the 7Brew drive-thru. She loves bonding with her yearbook staff and is very excited to be in her leadership position as a managing editor.