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Prince William County school officials have so far suspended 303 Woodbridge High School students after they left school property during a student-led ICE walkout last week. The suspensions come as student organizers across the county are planning another walkout Friday.
On Feb. 12, students at Woodbridge and Forest Park high schools and Gainesville Middle School conducted protest walkouts, with hundreds of Woodbridge students leaving campus and flooding Old Bridge Road and a nearby shopping center.
As of Wednesday, 303 Woodbridge students had received suspensions, with more anticipated, Prince William County schools spokesperson Diana Gulotta said. No suspensions were given for students at Forest Park or Gainesville Middle, who stayed on campus, she said.
Makhi L. Phillips, a senior and PWCS Student Senator representing Unity Reed Students Against Fascism, said protest organizers were disappointed to hear about students leaving campus at Woodbridge.
Phillips, part of a group organizing this Friday’s effort, said such actions “harm the credibility of student advocacy and create negative publicity that hurts student movements.”
Students at nine county schools are expected to participate in anti-ICE walkouts Friday, including Unity Reed, Gar-Field, Woodbridge, Osbourn Park, Hylton, Colgan, Battlefield, Patriot and Independence Nontraditional School.
“We are the student body of PWCS, tired of violence and unlawful actions committed daily by ICE against our neighbors and loved ones,” organizers said on their Instagram page @pwcs_iceout.
Philips said one catalyst for Friday’s countywide protest was seeing social media reports of recent ICE activity on Liberia Avenue in Manassas.
“Witnessing evil so close to home made the issue immediate,” Phillips told InsideNoVa. “For many of us, it was a call to action.” Students at Unity Reed have also shared personal experiences with classmates, Phillips said, including one student whose father was reportedly deported to El Salvador.
Phillips is urging all students planning to participate in walkouts to “remain on campus, prioritize safety, bring peaceful signage, respect staff members and school resource officers.”
The disciplinary action at Woodbridge High School was taken for leaving school grounds, Gulotta said, but leaving class to protest peacefully can result in an unexcused absence for missing instructional time.
“Of course, if there is a violation of the Code of Behavior (fighting, etc.) during that walkout, additional discipline is required,” she said in an email.
Principals are sending notes to families in advance of the walkouts, urging them to talk with their students about whether they plan to participate and “ensure they fully understand the expectations and potential consequences of such actions.”
Regarding the unexcused absences, Phillips said Unity Reed students “will not receive an absence for participating” because they worked closely with school administrators.
“This is a protest, and historically, standing up for one’s beliefs can involve consequences,” Phillips said. “Students should make informed decisions and understand their school’s policies before participating.”
The event is entirely student planned and led, and is not school-sponsored, according to both the school division and Phillips.
