Allen High School walkout, <\/a>and part of a nationwide expansion of student-led protests against federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s just sad us kids have to do this,\u201d Dieruff sophomore Joslivette Tatis said.<\/p>\n
Tatis referenced those killed by immigration enforcement officers, saying it\u2019s difficult \u201cseeing people die in front of you.\u201d She objected to the conduct of federal immigration officials, saying people are being treated \u201clike they\u2019re animals\u201d and that enforcement authorities are \u201cseeing them as trash.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deportation is personal for Allentown families, Tatis said. Other protesters said recent arrests of immigrants in Allentown had motivated students to organize the walkout.<\/p>\n
At Allentown and other school districts, the loosely organized protests, largely advertised on social media, have led some school districts to emphasize disciplinary consequences, while others have tried to work with organizers to shape the protest formats.<\/p>\n
Allentown School District officials said they felt a need to reach out to families after social media posts advertised both the Wednesday Dieruff walkout and a potential Friday walkout at Harrison Morton Middle School.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. As a reminder, when school is in session, all students are expected to remain in class and follow school policies, procedures, and behavioral expectations as outlined in the Student and Family Handbook. Maintaining a safe, orderly, and supervised learning environment is essential, and school leaders and staff will continue to uphold these expectations,\u201d the district\u2019s Tuesday communication to families read.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognize that members of our learning community may have strong feelings about current events affecting our nation, and we respect students\u2019 desire to express their perspectives. We encourage students to do so in constructive, respectful, and appropriate ways that do not disrupt instructional time or compromise safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement emphasized that \u201cany student-led demonstrations are not organized, sponsored, or directed by the Allentown School District or its staff\u201d and said leaving class without permission will be recorded as an unexcused absence and students will be marked absent for each class period missed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen students leave campus without permission, they are no longer under direct school supervision. This can present safety concerns, particularly when walking near roadways, navigating traffic, or gathering in unsupervised areas,\u201d the district wrote. \u201cInstruction will continue as scheduled, and our focus will remain on supporting learning and teaching for all students.\u201d<\/p>\n
A little more than a hundred Dierff students processed down the sidewalks along Union Boulevard during Wednesday\u2019s walkout. They carried signs that ranged from the tongue-in-cheek \u201cHot People Melt ICE\u201d and \u201cGet ICE Off My Streets Boiii\u201d to the simple \u201cICE Out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The overall message is that government officials should be treating everyone equally, said Dieruff sophomore Nataly Ortiz.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod made us all the same,\u201d Ortiz said.<\/p>\n
District responses vary<\/p>\n
Parkland High School had a quiet morning Wednesday after rumors of a potential \u201cPHS Walkout\u201d spread. The circulated flyer, however, contained multiple indications that it was not tied to the South Whitehall Township school, including incorrect times for the end of periods.<\/p>\n
Parkland\u2019s principal, however, did take to the intercom to make an all-school announcement, emphasizing a desire to work with students to find alternative modes of protest that would not involve missing class. Students were also told that they would receive a zero for any assignments missed due to participation in a walkout.<\/p>\n
Quakertown Community High School officials decided to work with student leaders to establish security for a planned Friday protest.<\/p>\n
The QCHS communication to families, sent Tuesday, said campus would be closed during the event, with visitors discouraged.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis allows staff and law enforcement to focus exclusively on student safety,\u201d the principal\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n
The school will increase law enforcement presence on campus to \u201csupport traffic and perimeter security\u201d and will establish \u201csafety zones\u201d to keep students away from high-traffic roadways and emergency walkways, the statement noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe standard code of conduct remains in effect,\u201d the statement read. \u201cStudents who stay within designated safety zones will not be disciplined for protesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classrooms will be open for students who choose not to participate, the statement added, emphasizing that participation is voluntary.<\/p>\n
\u201cPer district policy, missed time will be recorded as a class cut, and missed work may not be made up for credit,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cries of \u201cwe want justice; we want peace; get ICE off our streets\u201d rang out as Dieruff High…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,227,182,139,432],"class_list":{"0":"post-117402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news","11":"tag-education","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-top-stories-tmc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}