ROUND ROCK, Texas — Over a hundred students walked out of McNeil High School on Friday afternoon, the latest in a series of Central Texas student protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Students left the Round Rock ISD campus shortly after 2 p.m., gathering at the corner of McNeil Drive and Parmer Lane, according to CBS Austin reporter Adela Uchida. The group chanted, marched and held signs as passing cars honked in support.
The CBS Austin crew saw one person being detained by Austin officers.
A 17-year-old protester told CBS Austin that the person detained was an adult, not a student.
“She had been nothing but sweet and nothing but kind,” she said. “She was making sure that all of us were fed, that all of us had water… She was just very peaceful.”
Another protester said the woman was in the street, trying to get the students back to the sidewalk.
CBS Austin reached out to the Austin Police Department for more information.
The walkout follows similar protests this week at schools in Dripping Springs and Cedar Park, part of a wave of demonstrations that began across the region in late January.
The protests have drawn pushback from state officials. The Texas Education Agency issued guidance last week directing districts to mark participating students absent and warning that schools assisting in walkouts could face investigation.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced investigations into Austin ISD after earlier protests, accusing the district of helping students skip school.
AISD has defended its response, saying Texas law does not allow schools to use force to compel attendance.
“Short of physically restraining students, we cannot stop them from leaving campus,” AISD General Counsel Kenneth M. Walker II wrote in a letter to the attorney general’s office.
When asked for a comment, Round Rock ISD officials provided a statement from Feb. 4, reading in part:
We know that some of our students have participated in or may organize walkouts in the near future. It is our understanding that these student-led walkouts are protesting actions taken by ICE and other law enforcement agencies. Know that none of these events is organized or sponsored by the district or your student’s campus.Round Rock ISD teachers and staff recognize that students have a right to freedom of expression. As always, we encourage them to express their views lawfully. Allowing students to make their own choices should not be interpreted as the school or district taking a position on the issues involved.State law prohibits certified educators from encouraging or facilitating student departures from a class or school activity to engage in any form of political activism. Faculty and staff cannot participate in or support any walkout event during the regular school day. Staff will only serve to maintain a safe environment for our students while they are on campus. District staff also cannot physically prevent students from leaving campus.