Chanting “No Trump, no ICE, no fascists in our streets” and “ICE out, no justice no peace,” hundreds of Dallas ISD Townview Center students walked of class Tuesday morning to protest federal immigrant enforcement, despite a recent warning from the state.
High school junior Landry Cannon, one of the organizers, said the students demanded U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers get out of Dallas.
“The atrocities they’ve been committing are not American ideals,” he said amid loud, chanting students. “This is what democracy looks like in our country, and we’re using our First Amendment rights to express what we believe.”
Dallas Police and Dallas ISD officers stood by if needed but took no action.
The Texas Education Agency last week issued guidance warning school districts there could be serious consequences, including possible state takeover, if districts help facilitate student walkouts.
Cannon acknowledged the warning against student walkouts gave him pause, but he protested anyway.
The district warned parents in an email this week of possible consequences for protesting students, including being marked absent.
Under the TEA’s guidance, there could be possible sanctions against teachers who facilitated the walked out, and also the possibility of an appointed monitor if districts encouraged such protests.
After about an hour, students started returning to class.
The protest was among several planned in Dallas Tuesday.
Last week students walked out of schools in Forney, HEB and Fort Worth ISDs, among others.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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