The National Lawyers Guild San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, La Raza Centro Legal, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area are calling on educators, school administrators and law enforcement to respect the rights of students in the event of school walkouts for immigrant rights on Monday, May 1st. Most critically, these civil rights and civil liberties organizations want to make it clear that students should not be suspended for walking out of class nor is it safe for schools to lock students on school grounds to prevent them from walking out.
The immigrants rights marches that have swept the nation have included a number of walkouts by youth and students, particularly in California. In most cases this has led to few problems, but there have been reports of overreactions on the part of educators and law enforcement in some communities. Reports of “locking-in” students and threatening them with severe penalties if they leave class to attend marches for immigrant rights have appeared in the media. The organizations listed above have also received anecdotal information of student harassment and even physical restraining and altercations in California and the Bay Area.
The organizations listed above seek to inform the public of a few important points:
- Leaving school to attend a political rally or march cannot result in harsher penalties than other kinds of unexcused absences.
- The California Education Code makes it clear that suspensions and expulsions are not appropriate ways to discipline students for unexcused absences or truancy.
- Schools should not lock doors or block fire exits to prevent students from leaving school. Such measures undermine staff and student safety and are only allowed when necessary to prevent serious risks to student safety.
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