Humboldt Unified School District Superintendent Brett Dahl announced students who participate in walkouts during school hours will not be excused. The statement comes after district officials were made aware of conversations circulating nationally about student walkouts as a form of protest. They say the school’s primary responsibility is safety, supervision, and academic success during the school day.
Dahl adds that while it is important for students to learn their First Amendment rights, instruction time is limited, meaning walkouts will not be encouraged or permitted by the school district. Those who leave campus during instructional hours will be marked absent, and the absence will be recorded as truant.
Dahl closed by saying the district encourages civic expression to occur outside of school hours, with parental coordination, and asks parents for partnership in reinforcing these expectations.