School Districts Threaten Suspension If Students Walk Out

HOUSTON, TX — Two area school districts have threated students with suspension should the decide to disrupted classes and walk out to protest gun laws.

Needville ISD south of Rosenberg in Fort Bend County, and Spring ISD northwest of Houston, hae both warned students to find other ways to protest and voice their opinions that does not interfere with classroom instruction.

Needville Superintendent Curtis Rhodes said in a statement that read in part: "Please be advised that the Needville ISD will not allow a student demonstration during school hours for any type of protest or awareness!! Should students choose to do so, they will be suspended from school for 3 days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension. Life is all about choices and every choice has a consequence whether it be positive or negative. We will discipline no matter if it is one, fifty, or five hundred students involved. All will be suspended for 3 days and parent notes will not alleviate the discipline.

A school is a place to learn and grow educationally, emotionally and morally. A disruption of the school will not be tolerated.
Respect yourself, your fellow students and the Needville Independent School District and please understand that we are here for an education and not a political protest."

Rhodes' statement led to a mixture of angry comments and those supporting the superintendent for his to maintain a sense normalcy.

On Wednesday, Spring ISD officials also told students at all secondary campuses that they were aware of a planned walkout to show support for those impacted by the shooting at a Florida school last week, and "strongly urged" students to find another way that isn't disruptive to the classroom.

"Please know that we want to work with you to find productive ways to make meaningful change through other methods of support, like reaching out to lawmakers," Spring ISD Supeintenent Rodney Watson said in his statment Wednesday. "It is important that you know that we must follow normal procedures today and any students who walk out of class could face an in-school suspension per our normal policies."

On the same day as the planned walkout, Spring ISD was alerted to a threat planned for Friday that triggered an investigation by Spring ISD police that is still ongoing.

Since the shooting in Parkland, Florida on Feb 14, more than 20 Houston area school campuses have received threats, with more than a dozen students arrested and charged.

Image: Shutterstock: Students protest outside the White House on Tuesday

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