600 Lyons Township HS Students Protest ICE

LA GRANGE, IL – About 600 Lyons Township High School students marched out of class to protest ICE in the middle of the day earlier this week, officials reported.

They made up 16 percent of the school's enrollment.

Such events are taking place across the suburbs. On Friday, 17 percent of York High School's students took part in a demonstration. Five percent of Hinsdale Central students participated Wednesday.

During Tuesday's Lyons Township High School board meeting, Rhia Nagale, a student representative on the board, told members that students from both North and South campuses demonstrated earlier that day.

She said they gathered at a central place and then walked to downtown La Grange. They returned to class, she said.

Superintendent Brian Waterman said officials closely monitored the situation and kept in close contact with the La Grange and Western Springs police departments.

He said officials were grateful the protest was peaceful.

"We certainly respect our students' constitutional rights to express their views, and we also know that we have a tremendous responsibility to maintain a safe, structured and disruption-free environment," Waterman said. "It is certainly for that reason why we don't support walkouts or protests that occur during instructional time."