Williamson County Students Join National Walkouts in Protest of ICE

Some 70 Ravenwood High School students took part in a walkout on Tuesday protesting ongoing abuses by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, in a growing trend of student-led actions across the U.S.

The students walked out at 2 p.m., 47 minutes before the end of the scheduled school day, and marched approximately one mile to Marcella Vivrette Smith Park by way of the connecting greenway path, many carrying signs denouncing ICE — some reading, “reject hate, embrace humanity,” and another, “We are skipping our lessons to teach you one.”

At the same time, numerous other students not participating in the action left campus in personal cars, a few heckling the protesters, one playing Vanilla Ice’s "Ice Ice Baby” on a car stereo.

Protesters ended the march at the park’s playground, where several students made speeches, ending with a group pledge during the playing of a recording of the national anthem, an American flag drawn in marker on paper.

“There are students at our school that carry their passports and their backpacks every single day — They are afraid,” junior Ashley Yeung said. “Students who wanted to be standing here with us today were told by their families that it wasn't safe, that being here would target them and their loved ones; They are afraid. There are students who think standing here would affect their future college and career opportunities; They are afraid. We are not here because we wanted to skip a class. We're here because we're informed, and because what's happening right now in our country is a human rights crisis.”

International public outcry has increased over poor health conditions inside ICE facilities, rising deaths in ICE custody, thousands of illegal arrests by ICE and high-profile killings of American citizens by immigration enforcement agents throughout the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown.

“My family did not come to this country simply for comfort,” sophomore Jacob Shalaby said. “They fled religious persecution in Egypt, leaving behind homes, careers and everything familiar, because they believed America was a place where people could live freely, where faith, identity and background would not determine whether you were treated with dignity. They came here hoping the fear would finally stop. So it is painful to see families today, including families like mine, who escaped persecution in one part of the world now feel targeted again, facing this ethnic discrimination and fear in new ways.”

Several parents were waiting in the park to support their children, standing back and allowing students the space to speak and express their views in the student-led demonstration.

One of those parents, Brentwood resident Tatsiana Singh, stood by as her son, Devin, a sophomore, helped lead the protest.

Singh said she immigrated to the United States from Belarus, which is ruled by a dictatorship, in 1998, moving to Brentwood last year.

“Many of my family and friends there suffered from the regime and served jail sentences and such. And it is very, very difficult for me to see some of the alarming signs of that environment here in this country,” Singh said, adding that she didn’t encourage her son to participate, but is proud that he’s standing up for his beliefs.

“I think these kids have a ton of courage," she continued. "I think there are risks associated with showing what you stand by and what you believe in, and they all took that risk today, and I just hope that it's only for the better, because the future is in their hands … Each one of these speakers spoke about non-division and let's come together. I think they're so ready."

During Tuesday’s Williamson County Schools Board meeting, county Republican Party chairman Steve Hickey and second vice chair Elliott Franklin questioned the district’s policies regarding students leaving school early and potential “legal jeopardy” during the public comments section.

“I strongly urge you to demand a policy that enforces standards of behavior for Williamson County students and heads off potential legal jeopardy for the county, understanding First Amendment rights as an important part of the education process, but so too is appreciating the responsibilities that come with being a member of civil society,” Hickey said.

WCS Superintendent Jason Golden reiterated the details of the WCS Rumor Mill blog post during the board meeting regarding the walkouts, which have also occurred at Brentwood High School and numerous other schools across the nation.

“We tried to make that clear in our statement — we do not condone or coordinate student walkouts," Golden said. "In fact, we try to do the opposite. We try to talk to students and their parents who are involved in defining another outlet that does not disturb class time. That's very important to us, because that is our mission, making sure class time is there, but as we have seen locally here, we're not immune from anything else that's happening elsewhere.”

“One key request our principals have of parents is, if you believe your child might be thinking about this, let's talk. Let's talk about it on the front end," Golden continued. "We are very concerned about student safety, and when you introduce some of those activities, you might introduce some variables over which we have less control than we typically do in the school setting, so it's very important for us to talk and find ways to find a different and better outlet for those.”

Update: On Feb. 20, students at Franklin High School joined the anti-ICE demonstrations with a walkout during Friday afternoon's classes, making for at least the third Williamson County school to particpate in the national demonstrations.