York Students Demonstrate Solidarity with Wisconsin Workers

Students chanted "1, 2, 3, 4—We are walking out the door—5, 6, 7, 8—Help our teachers educate!" as they staged a walkout just outside the doors of York High School at 2 p.m. today.

The move was meant to show solidarity with public workers of Wisconsin after Gov. Scott Walker passed a bill in that state's Senate on Wednesday that limits the rights of public workers to use collective bargaining during contract negotiations.

A Facebook event titled, "Nationwide Student Walkout," urged high school students to walk out of their classrooms "in solidarity with Wisconsin and to organize teach-ins on the attacks on public education and working families where you live."

By early this afternoon, more than 6,000 Facebook users had indicated they would attend the event.

Principal Diana Smith was approached by two students this morning, who informed her of the walkout.

"The students that came to see me were not the organizers," Smith said. "They just wanted to let the administration know what was happening."

In turn, Smith sent an e-mail to her staff so they would be aware of the walkout.

"As school faculty, our primary responsibility is to ensure that school is orderly and safe for all students," Smith said. "Our goal would be to make sure students are not leaving campus and that they return to class safely."

At exactly 2 p.m., students began streaming out of the school to gather in front of the building. The students chanted "fight for your rights" and held signs that read "it's about freedom" and "an injury to one is an injury to all," while school officials stood nearby to monitor the crowd.

Caitlin McManus, a junior at York, was pleased with the turnout for today's demonstration.

"It was really great," she said. "There were a lot of really passionate people there."

Despite the fact that many teachers were not in favor of the walkout, McManus said that the faculty had been directed not to stop students from walking out, but not to promote it either. 

McManus feels strongly that students need to get involved.

"It doesn't just affect the adults and the workers, but it directly affects our education and our teachers," she said. "One state can be the model for the rest of the country, and if this happens to us, then our education and everything else we know is basically down the drain. This issue is enormous."

Smith said she estimates about 2,000 of the approximately 2,600 York students did not participate in the walkout. But whether they stayed in their classrooms because they were opposed to the message of the walkout or because they were warned by their parents not to participate, she does not know.

"I have no way of knowing that," she said.

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