More than 150 students at Waubonsie Valley High School walked out of class Monday afternoon and took to the streets to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Around 12:45 p.m., after their sixth-period classes, students left the school with signs in hand, chanting and marching on Eola Road, with some walking over three miles to Metea Valley High School.
Waubonsie Valley students join area-wide walkouts
The student-led demonstration is one of several that have taken place in the Chicagoland area over the last few days, condemning ICE operations.
“People come here to start a better life and a better future for their families, and the fact that ICE is tearing that apart isn’t okay,” said 15-year-old Aaliyah Cisneros, one of the organizers.
Cisneros and her brother, Julian, were among those who helped plan the protest, noting that the recent death of Alex Pretti in Minnesota sparked a call to action for them.
“When I heard that the RN named Alex died. It really motivated me to actually want to talk about my stance in this political view and actually make a difference, because there’s so much going on in this world right now, and I think everyone needs to speak up,” said 14-year-old Julian, a freshman.
Parent voices support for students
Jacquelyn Ceplecha, the siblings’ mother, said she supported her children and their plans to send a message by leaving school.
“We need to stick together. It doesn’t matter. Republican, Democrat, Liberal, conservative. What’s wrong is wrong, and what’s happening is wrong,” said Ceplecha.
“I think since we’re teenagers, they just think, ‘Oh, they want to skip school. They want to be bad.’ But we want to make it known that something needs to change now,” said Julian.
In a statement, Indian Prairie School District 204 officials said they knew about the walkout and took steps to keep students safe. However, they did not specify if students would face any consequences.
“The district was made aware that students at Waubonsie Valley High School were organizing a walkout today. The district enforced all standard attendance policies during the walkout. As safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, the district supported a safe environment for students during the walkout,” said Lisa Barry, director of communication services for IPSD 204.
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