Campus police used pepper spray on Will Rogers students Wednesday during an anti-ICE walkout, according to Tulsa Public Schools. It’s the first immigration-related demonstration led by Tulsa students in recent months to involve police force.
According to the district, Will Rogers Middle and High School students led a protest Wednesday afternoon, exiting the academic building to demonstrate in the football stadium. An “altercation occurred between students” during the protest, reads a district statement, and campus police used pepper spray after students “did not comply.” Paramedics took one student to the hospital.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, district spokeswoman Caroline Crouch said Wednesday. Crouch declined to identify the campus police officer involved or share updates on the status of students involved.
Several schools across the Tulsa metro have organized protests against the Trump Administration’s immigration policies and increased Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployment in the United States. In recent weeks, students at Bixby, Owasso, Union, Jenks, Nathan Hale high schools and others have walked out during school hours without incident.
TPS guidance for student walkouts affirms the rights of students to “peaceful self-expression and advocacy” and assigns “no consequences” for students who participate, including a marked absence from class.
According to TPS documents obtained by the Flyer, students must notify school administrators ahead of time to hold a walkout — triggering a set of mandates for school staff. Security officers, counselors, social workers, teachers on planning time and the principal are all assigned to predesignated walkout areas. Teachers are not permitted to encourage student protest.
“The role of the staff is to remain calm and be supportive unless student behavior becomes disruptive,” district guidance reads.
The First Amendment guarantees public school students’ rights to demonstrate on school grounds provided they don’t disrupt the functioning of the school or violate school policies. But that hasn’t stopped punitive action from some district leaders in Oklahoma.
In February, 122 students were suspended after participating in a walkout at Mustang High School just outside Oklahoma City. Gov. Kevin Stitt applauded the suspensions on social media, writing “Young Oklahomans: Free speech is sacred, but truancy robs your future. Stay in school, build skills and make your voice heard responsibly.”
Other Republican lawmakers have also come down on students participating in anti-ICE protests, advocating for disciplinary measures and investigations into teachers at school sites.
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