La Quinta High students organize protest over ICE activity as schools warn against walkouts

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ)  - Chloe Freeman, a La Quinta high school student, is helping organize a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity as part of a national day of action, drawing attention from school districts balancing student expression with safety concerns.

She said she helped organize the walkout, scheduled on Friday, after seeing flyers circulate online calling for students across the Coachella Valley to protest.

"It's very important that we as young people take a stance on things that we deem important to us," Freeman said. "We figured that most students would just stand outside of the campus and wait until 9 a.m., which is when we would be conducting the walkout."

Freeman said participants will then walk to the La Quinta Park across the street from the high school.

"There we would have chants and educate people on what their rights are as protesters," Freeman said.

Then attendees will make the nearly 4 mile walk to City Hall.

"Hopefully some council members can hear our pleas to get ICE out of this valley," Freeman said. “I know of many friends and classmates that are afraid to leave their homes.”

School districts say they respect students’ rights to free expression but are emphasizing safety and attendance policies.

In a message to families, Palm Desert High School Principal Sarit Saig reminded families that students are not allowed to leave campus or participate in off-campus demonstrations during the school day without written parent/guardian permission and completion of standard checkout procedures. 

"While we respect the right to peaceful protest, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. We do not believe it is safe for students to walk to City Hall, and we do not condone students leaving campus for this or any other activity without parent permission, following sign-out procedures and appropriate supervision," Saig wrote in a letter to families on Wednesday.

You can see the full letter here.

Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) spokesperson Joan L. Boiko provided this statement:

"There has not been a whole lot of talk at most of our schools about Friday. There was more around a school that had planned protest for today, and the principal communicated with students via announcements and sent out a letter to families telling them that we support our scholars’ right to protest and also let them know that if students walk out it will be considered an unexcused absence and they would not be allowed back on campus to participate in any after school activities. The students ended up canceling their activity.

One other school heard some students talking about Friday, so that principal also shared similar information on announcement to students and communication to parents today. We have plans in place to ensure that if students walk off campus to protest, they will be kept safe with security and/or administrator escorts."

Maria Selene Castillo, Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) public information officer, provided this statement:

"As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining safe and supportive learning environments, high school site administrators will provide on-campus opportunities for students to express themselves peacefully. Students may participate in activities designed to promote reflection, creativity, and respectful dialogue.

Planned on-campus activities may include:

• Districtwide Art Contest: Our Culture, Our Community – students create original artwork celebrating culture, heritage, and identity
• Voices in Writing - Letter writing to political officials, including the President of the United States
• Open Mic & Spoken Word – poetry, short reflections, or spoken expression
• Journaling & Reflection Spaces – a place to write, draw, and process thoughts

These activities will take place under staff supervision and are intended to provide students with a safe space to share their thoughts while remaining on campus during the instructional day."

As tensions rise, Karina Vega CVUSD District Support Counselor, said she's seeing the emotional impact firsthand.

"This has been a very difficult time for everyone involved because there's so many unknowns," Vega said.

She said anxiety can interfere with students’ ability to focus in class and is encouraging healthy coping strategies.

"One way would be coloring, journaling, mandalas, drawing, talking to a caring adult, breathing, grounding," Vega said. "There are so many techniques to help with those big emotions."

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.