Student Walkout Turns Chaotic

Hundreds of Jordan students participated in a walkout onto Jordan’s track to resist the presence of federal law enforcement in the area on November 20th, which turned into unfocused chaos. Students attending felt that ICE and Border Patrol could be intruding on the safe space that school provides for many. Classes throughout the school participated in creating posters with slogans such as “I like my ICE crushed” or “All falcons are welcome here” to display their support for those impacted. Ms. Harless, an English teacher who encouraged her classes to support our students, explained, “While the walkout started with good intention, it did turn unproductive.” Students threw food and water bottles at each other, among other unfocused behavior. She was relieved, however, that some students ignored the chaos, rising to the forefront with posters or engaging the group as a whole.

Sophomore Lily McConnell was among those at the walkout. She said, “no kid should have to go to school scared…I wanted to take any opportunity to possibly change what is happening.” She described that the crowd was huge, but eventually the sheer number of people dissolved into chaos. Overall, there were mixed reviews from students who attended on the effectiveness of the walkout, but the support and insistence from our student body was still evident.