Students Stage Walkout At Moses Lake Schools To Protest ICE Killings

The Moses Lake School District is clarifying what it believes to be several misconceptions by the public about a walkout staged by dozens of its students on Tuesday.

In a statement issued today, District officials said the walkout was initiated solely by the students and was not sanctioned by the District, nor any of its educators or staff members.

The District added that it did not "sponsor, plan, promote, endorse, or supervise" the walkout, and "no instructional time was set aside for it."

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It happened in the early afternoon hours when as many as 75 to 100 students suddenly left the campuses of Moses Lake High School and the nearby Vanguard Academy to stage a protest regarding the recent killings of two people by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis, Minn., as well as the Trump Administration's broader policies related to immigration enforcement issues.

After leaving school grounds, the students - some of whom held hand-made signs and flags of both the U.S. and Mexico, gathered at all four corners of the intersection of South Pioneer Way and East Nelson Road where they waved and cheered at passing motorists.

District spokesperson, Ryan Shannon, tells KPQ the protest lasted for at least the better part of an hour and some students did return to campus before the end of the school day.

The District's statement went on to offer some empathetic sentiments about the students who took part, stating, "We understand that students may have strong feelings about issues affecting their lives and communities. We recognize and value student voice," but continued to say, "During the school day, however, the District’s responsibility is to ensure student safety, accountability, and that learning continues as scheduled."

The District says all of its schools remained open and operated per usual during the walkout, and district staff remained on campus to ensure that classes continued as scheduled and students were safe.

Students who left campus to participate in the protest were reportedly marked with an unexcused absence on their attendance record with each of their families also notified of the action.

Tuesday's walkout and protest follows numerous others of a similar nature which have taken place at public and private schools across the state over the past few months.