On Friday, Feb. 6, over 22,500 students from 85 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) walked out of class an organized protest. This was not a walkout in protest of the killing of innocent civilians in Iran. It wasn’t about the horrors that Hamas has perpetrated. Students were not leaving their schools as a way of calling for more learning tools at their schools, or better facilities.
It was to protest ICE doing its job of arresting criminal illegal aliens.
And LAUSD employees, teachers, and administrators tacitly (and in many cases overtly) supported and promoted it.
Let's be clear. This was not a protest against an injustice, but a supported walkout of middle and high school students protesting federal agents doing their job. It wasn't based on a violation of civil rights or abuses of power. These teenagers were encouraged to walk out of their education in order to complain about duly appointed officers enforcing federal law.
There's certainly an argument to be made about protecting the children of illegal aliens, and the compassionate side of me says that all children should be educated in the best ways possible. The pragmatic side of me argues that it should not be the responsibility of American taxpayers to pay for the education of these children, and especially the financial support of their families. But while that inner dialogue may justify adults protesting immigration policies, it really doesn't enter into this discussion of a student walkout.
Worse still is the support that this kind of behavior has received from the LAUSD, which has even set up the website of WeAreOne to help illegal aliens evade law enforcement. Here, the LAUSD has created a campaign entitled “We Have Rights,” and states its mission as “We Have Rights is an empowerment campaign to prepare for and safely defend our rights during encounters with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).” On this website, the LAUSD provides videos (produced at taxpayers’ expense) on how to avoid ICE in Arabic, French, Haitian-Creole, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu (the language of the Islamic regime of Pakistan). Illegal aliens from countries that sponsor terrorism (Iran, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, et al) as well as nations that are clearly not allies, such as Russia and China, can go to the LAUSD website to learn how to avoid ICE.
How does this fit into the LAUSD mission statement of “realizing excellence for all students by providing the unique, rigorous, and culturally relevant education that each and every student deserves”? In what way does scheduling a student walkout, let alone teaching families from terrorist-supporting nations, integrate with educating our children?
Maybe the logic of LAUSD administrators is that their school district is so successful at educating children that they can spend their time, money, and resources on walkouts. But the reality is the opposite. If there's any question about the quality, or lack thereof, of education at LAUSD, they are proud that in 2024/2025, only 43.1% of students demonstrated proficiency in math and 32.8% in reading, as this was slightly better than last year. Fewer than half the students in this district, the second-largest school district in the nation, know basic math, and fewer than a third are proficient in reading. This is despite the fact that LAUSD teachers are paid nearly 40% more than the national average.
I grew up in the LAUSD public school system, when it was one of the top educational districts in the country, but that was a long time ago, when the governor of the state was Ronald Reagan (a Republican), and the mayors of Los Angeles were Sam Yorty and then Tom Bradley (both conservative Democrats). Then, it was a district dedicated to teaching children in a classic educational way, as opposed to indoctrinating children in neo-Marxism and ignoring educational standards.
Most people do not have their children in a school system like LAUSD, but more and more cities, especially larger Democratic metropolitan cities, are following in the footsteps of LAUSD. Which is why, as we approach the upcoming elections this year, it is so important for people to recognize the importance of school boards. The left has been very successful over the last thirty years in taking over school boards around the country, and changing the educational agenda to focus more on far-left preoccupations and values such as drag queens, gender dysphoria, immigration, socialism, etc. They have been indoctrinating our children, the next generation of voters, and this indoctrination must stop… for the sake of our children, and of this country.
I pray that as we approach elections this year that sensible parents will run for and take back seats on school boards. That school districts will again focus on educating our children in the subjects that they will need to succeed in life. That they will learn the skills and information that will allow them to be creators of brilliant inventions, informed voters, and successful contributors to society.
Otherwise, God forbid, school districts around the country will be progressively more forced to deal with children walking out of school to protest the legal actions at federal officers.
Gain full access to honest, patriotic journalism: Become a VIP member today. You'll get all of our exclusive content and podcasts, and an ad-free experience. Use code FIGHT for 60% off.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member