From a national school walk out marking the anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School and calling for action against gun violence. Photo by Phil Roeder via flickr.
Last Friday at the general strike, thousands of students left their seats across San Francisco and marched to Dolores Park. They carried signs that ranged from the sweet cringe of youth to the gut-punching and poetic. The crowds were full of smiling, nervous teenagers exercising a California right.
Across the Golden State, middle and high schoolers have legal protections that enable them to spend one excused absence on civic duties thanks to SB 955. Protest is as San Franciscan as sourdough, but it’s not like that elsewhere.
Families in other school districts, especially those in more rural and more rightward locales, are now facing a test. The law says if a guardian gives advanced notice their kid can have an excused absence to do things like a national walkout. But in at least one county, the school district is denying that right.
During the California Parent Teacher Association’s annual Legislative Conference earlier this week, the Chief Deputy Superintendent for the California Department of Education, David Shapiro, explained how critical SB 955 is in this moment. He also suggested that districts out of compliance should reach out to him.
Almost immediately, someone raised her hand.
According to one mother’s complaint, students were not given excused absences at a high school in a midsized district. Pending a response from the school district and further action from the parent, the best thing we at BrokeAssStuart can do is go over student rights.
Widespread protests throughout San Francisco Unified School District on January 30th were well-attended, student-organized, and largely without drama. Students were nervous but disciplined; there weren’t reports of any issues about graffiti or property damage. From this former teacher’s perspective, the student organizers did a fabulous job.
It’s disturbing to imagine what happened in that unnamed district. Student rights, like all civil rights, are under attack in this country, and it’s awful.
In California, you may have at least one excused absence to use for anything related to exercising your civil rights. You need your guardian to submit advanced notification to the school, and you should try your best to stay calm and polite as you leave. If you are forbidden or otherwise threatened, take ample notes including dates, times, and names. See if you can get any friends to write corroborating witness testimony, even if you just keep it in your private records. Tell your guardian as soon as you’re able. And then work with your guardians to file a grievance with the state’s board of education.
Protest is essential, and it’s protected. Even, and especially, for youth.
