Students Protest Immigration Bill
Last updated Tuesday, March 28, 2006 10:53 PM CST in News
By Steve Caraway
The Morning News
SPRINGDALE -- A group of students walked off the George Junior High School campus Tuesday morning in protest of proposed legislation affecting illegal immigrants.
The walkout, by 36 mostly Hispanic students, came after a national protest Friday drew extensive media coverage, especially in the Hispanic media.
"We had a couple of students who were very concerned over the issues," said David Nelson, George principal. "I think the other students joined in when the first ones suggested it."
The students walked off campus at the start of the school day, Nelson said. Some of the students were later picked up by parents, while others returned to class.
"We talked to the parents to make sure they were aware of what happened," said Al Lopez, community liaison for the Springdale School District. "I found out the protests have been the topic of conversation at night in a lot of homes."
National protests began Friday. Approximately 500,000 protesters marched in Los Angeles on Saturday to protest proposed federal legislation to crack down on undocumented immigrants. Protesters also marched in Arizona, Texas and Georgia.
Students left schools in California and Texas on Monday to protest the immigration reform proposals. Similar protests came again Tuesday in those states.
The attention given to the protests heightened the awareness of local students, Lopez said.
"You can see it in the faces of the kids," Lopez said. "These students are not just worrying about grades. Some of them were born in the U.S., so they are Americans. But their fathers don't have documents. Are their fathers criminals?"
Turning the incident into a learning experience, teachers used the situation as an opportunity to instruct youth on the proper way to express their concern.
"We talked about the situation as a civics lesson," Nelson said. "We let them know we were concerned, but walking off school grounds is not the way to show their concern for national issues. We don't allow that."
Lopez talked to many of the parents, who said they supported their children, but not the timing of the walkout.
"They wondered why the kids couldn't have protested Saturday or Sunday," Lopez said. "The parents I talked to did not know anything about the walk-off."
The students were encouraged to keep their concern, but focus their effort.
"There is a system in place," Lopez said. "They need to use it."
None of the students was suspended, Nelson said.
"I certainly hope all of them will be back in school tomorrow," he said.
According to state records, 27 percent of the students taking the Benchmark tests last year at George Junior High were Hispanic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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