L.A. Unified officials have not set districtwide penalties for walkouts \u2014 and its leaders align with the students\u2019 anti-ICE critique. Supt. Alberto Carvalho, an immigrant himself, has pledged to do all in the district\u2019s power to maintain schools as sanctuaries for children of immigrant families \u2014 and activists patrol outside schools to help ensure safe passage to campus for parents and students.<\/p>\n
At the same time, LAUSD educators have encouraged students to stay on campus for safety reasons. In L.A. there were reports of physical confrontations between officers and protesters after students walked out on Feb. 5<\/a> and on Feb. 13<\/a>, when three federal agents were injured after some in the crowd threw objects at them. <\/p>\n State and education leaders in Texas<\/a> and Florida<\/a> outlined significant consequences for students and educators related to student walkouts. In Texas, state leaders have talked about possible suspension and expulsion for students, dismissal for educators and state takeovers for school districts.<\/p>\n The ACLU of Georgia sent a letter Jan. 29 expressing concerns<\/a> to the Cobb County School District after it threatened<\/a> out-of-school suspension, loss of parking and extracurricular privileges and warned of college admissions consequences for participation in walkouts. <\/p>\n The ACLU warned that the school system would be acting illegally if walkout participants were singled out for especially harsh treatment based on their viewpoints. <\/p>\n The young activists<\/p>\n Student high school activists \u2014 in Redlands and elsewhere \u2014 said they are willing to face consequences, if necessary, to stand up for what they believe by protesting the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. <\/p>\n \u201cAs organizers, it\u2019s expected for us to take the first wave of retaliation,\u201d said Redlands High School senior Jax Hardy. \u201cSo while we would be very disappointed in the district for doing such a thing, for us, it\u2019s important to exercise our free speech rights to oppose a government that is encroaching on our human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n Student leaders see their protests as a civics lesson in action.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s necessary to act, because, if we don\u2019t, who knows how things will escalate further,\u201d said Redlands High junior Aya F, who goes by her last initial rather than her full legal name. \u201cSo that\u2019s why we feel it\u2019s important for us to stage this walkout.\u201d<\/p>\n Redlands is about 60 miles east of downtown L.A. and enrolls about 20,000 students. In November 2024 a conservative majority was elected to the five-person Redlands Board of Education,<\/a> aligning the board with key policies of the Trump administration. Redlands joined a handful of ideologically similar California boards in approving policies that would allow parents to challenge library books with sexual content and prohibit display of the rainbow pride flag, which is associated with the LGBTQ+ community. <\/p>\n But the district stated that its actions on the walkouts have no ideology attached. <\/p>\n \u201cThe district\u2019s response is not based on the viewpoint, theme or content of a student\u2019s expression,\u201d Stephens said.<\/p>\n Students walk out despite punishment<\/p>\n Some Redlands students organized another walkout Friday and organizers said they expected representation from students at seven middle and high schools. Many showed up from Redlands High School. They carried \u201cStop ICE\u201d signs and Mexican flags and blew whistles as they made a 15-minute trek to a downtown intersection that some refer to as \u201cPeace Corner.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen this many people in Redlands do anything ever,\u201d said sophomore James Bojado, who also said that, for days, administrators had attempted to dissuade students with threats of discipline.<\/p>\n Several Redlands police vehicles patrolled the rally area, slowly rolling by.<\/p>\n A man in a sun hat shouted: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you fly the American flag? Are you ashamed of America?\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cLeave us alone!\u201d a chorus responded.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mom and my dad are immigrants,\u201d said sophomore Carmen Robles. \u201cWhy deport families that care about America back to where they came from?\u201d<\/p>\n At the rally, student demands included an ironclad district commitment that ICE will never be allowed on campus. Students also called for the abolition of ICE and spoke of wanting the school board to rescind what they regard as anti-LGBTQ+ policies. These include the flag ban<\/a> and the book restriction policy.<\/a> <\/p>\n During the Friday Redlands rally, there were a few tense minutes when a student in a MAGA hat was pelted by water bottles. The student spoke to police but also said he wasn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n A person wearing a MAGA hat gets water and pizza thrown at him during a student walkout and protest in Redlands.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Adult volunteers were on hand with the goal of keeping things safe and positive. Parent Toni Belcher said that students have a right to be heard.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to see all these kids trying to get their voice to matter,\u201d Belcher said. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t now, it will. … They\u2019re starting early.\u201d<\/p>\n What the law says<\/p>\n The right of students to express themselves begins with the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do not lose your right to free speech just by walking into school,\u201d according to guidance from the American Civil Liberties Union<\/a>. \u201cYou have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions and wear expressive clothing in school \u2014 as long as you don\u2019t disrupt the functioning of the school or violate the school\u2019s content-neutral policies.\u201d<\/p>\n A walkout, however, could be treated as a disruption. But greater punishment cannot be applied based on the nature of the views expressed.<\/p>\n Redlands Unified believes it is complying with that legal standard.<\/p>\n California law offers some additional protection for student protests, but it\u2019s not unlimited. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771240988_29_.jpeg\")
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