By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt applauded an Oklahoma City-area school district for suspending 122 students who staged a walkout against federal immigration enforcement tactics earlier this month.
“Young Oklahomans: Free speech is sacred, but truancy robs your future. Stay in school, build skills, and make your voice heard responsibly,” Stitt, a Republican, posted on social media.
Mustang Public Schools confirmed Wednesday it assigned in-school suspension to students for committing unexcused absences during the walkout, not for the content of their speech. High school students across the state, including in Mustang, have walked out of class this month to hold protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s controversial mass deportation effort.
The walkouts have drawn criticism from some Republican legislators, who complained not only of student truancy but that the demonstrations were “politically charged.” They called for teaching licenses to be revoked from any educators involved in organizing the protests.
State Superintendent Lindel Fields and Stitt’s education secretary, Dan Hamlin, said they found no evidence that school staff helped plan any of the demonstrations.
Social media claims of adult involvement in Mustang’s Feb. 5 walkout weren’t found to be credible, either, district leadership said. The walkout was student-led, and those involved were punished according to district policies.
Truancy in Mustang schools is punishable by detention, suspension or other consequences, according to the district’s discipline manual.
“Student safety remains our highest priority, and our decisions were made with that responsibility in mind,” the district stated.
In a joint statement last week, Fields and Hamlin said students who leave a school campus without permission should be addressed according to locally adopted policies. Educators present during on-campus demonstrations are “expected to ensure safety and order and not to participate in political advocacy,” they said.
“Our state’s public schools are legally obligated to respect students’ constitutional rights to free speech while also maintaining safe and orderly learning environments for all students,” Fields and Hamlin said.
