Florida\u2019s quote of the day<\/p>\n
“Don\u2019t do something stupid, but don\u2019t do nothing, either.”<\/p>\n
— Moses May<\/p>\n
Over multiple days of protests, dozens of students walked out of St. Petersburg High \u2014 as did thousands more at other local schools \u2014 leaving administrators to determine if and how they should be disciplined. <\/p>\n
Across the state, schools have faced heavy pressure from state officials to clamp down on protest-like activities and any educators who support them. <\/p>\n
The state has limited powers when it comes to handing out student punishment: By law, control over discipline falls squarely to local school boards, which adopt and revise codes of conduct that principals are left to enforce.<\/p>\n
The state has much more leeway to lean on educators through its Principles of Professional Conduct, which is how education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has pushed his position that protests have no place in schools. <\/p>\n
Kamoutsas has said students can express themselves on their own time and has called on parents to report school employees who \u201cencourage\u201d students to walk out, promising to \u201cimmediately take action.\u201d<\/p>\n