AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Students at Lamar Middle School in Austin walked out of class Wednesday, lining a nearby road with signs and chanting “Abolish ICE.”<\/p>\n
About 400 students left class at the start of third period to join the protest, according to a letter Principal Travis Brunner sent to families. Most returned when fourth period began, but about 30 stayed out to continue the demonstration, he wrote.<\/p>\n
Videos shared on Facebook by Birdhouse Books and Gifts, a bookstore across the street from the school, show a long line of students along the roadside, many holding signs over their heads.<\/p>\n
ALSO | Central Texas students walk out in protest of North Austin ICE shooting<\/a><\/p>\n The post was written by Abby Strite, a parent of one of the students. She said she was proud of the students and acknowledged that walking out carries risks and consequences for them.<\/p>\n “This is not easy for them,” she wrote.<\/p>\n The Austin Independent School District said the walkout was organized entirely by students and was not sponsored or endorsed by the district. Campus administrators and Austin ISD police monitored the protest, and administrators reminded students to stay safe and remain respectful and peaceful, Brunner wrote. <\/p>\n About 10 students left campus and were encouraged to return.<\/p>\n The school did not stop students from participating, but those who missed class or arrived late because of the walkout will be marked absent or tardy, according to the letter.<\/p>\n “While we respect our students’ civic engagement, student safety is our primary concern,” Brunner wrote.<\/p>\n He urged families to talk with their children about where they should be and how they will get home safely, saying the district cannot guarantee students’ safety once they leave campus, especially because they may encounter counter-protesters.<\/p>\n The walkout comes days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot Wilber Rafael Garc\u00e9s P\u00e9rez<\/a>, a Venezuelan DoorDash driver, in north Austin on Sunday.<\/p>\n Video released by Austin police <\/a>Tuesday does not show the shooting itself, and Garc\u00e9s P\u00e9rez’s attorney said the ICE officer who fired was not wearing a body camera. A federal judge has temporarily blocked his deportation<\/a>, according to his attorney.<\/p>\n