As hundreds of Hamden High students walked out after third period on Friday, Mar. 27, Terri White said he felt he had no choice but to join. “I wanted to use my First Amendment rights in a peaceful way,” the sophomore said. “My mom is an immigrant, and I had to do something about it.”

Roughly 300 students streamed out of the exit on the plaza side of the school, according to security guard Khadijah Woods. It was largely organized through Instagram by students Ned Foley, Charlotte Stover, and Derrick Kerr. The students were trying to raise awareness and protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Their goal was to “show students that don’t know what’s going on to get involved and become more passionate” and to “not be scared to speak out”, according to Stover. The students walked the 1.5 miles on Dixwell Ave. from Hamden High to the Town Hall. At the town hall, the students stood and “a bunch of people shared their thoughts and stories, including me,” said White.

The walkout was planned for a month before the event, with posters being released on Instagram the weekend of. Kerr and Foley did most of the organizing, and Stover helped publicize the event. She chose Instagram because “most people have it and it is the most efficient, because more people can repost it.” The Instagram account has gained 178 followers at the time of publication.

Not all students participated, but many were interested. Junior Manaal Hussain said that she would walk out, but could not. “My attendance is already low, and my parents, you know,” she said. Hussain said she was interested in the event, saying, “I think it is good that students at HHS are talking about it, bringing attention even if the [walkout] is not well-attended, but people are talking about it.” The walkout was the third protest White attended, and he said that he hopes it “ [brings] attention to the problems ICE causes and it shows our community that we can stand up even if we were not directly affected.”

While students described the walkout as empowering, its impact inside the building created challenges for teachers and administrators. Principal Eric Jackson sent out a message on ParentSquare and StudentSquare the day before, using language that originated from Central Office, which many students and staff members found to be vague. He declined multiple requests for comment.

While students leaving campus without parental consent usually result in them not being allowed to re-enter the building, an exception was made for the walkout. “We got guidance from Central [Office] to let students back into the building, given the unique situation,” said Assistant Principal Amanda Forcucci. “We want them here to begin with.” Jennifer McColl, a math teacher, said she was going to change her lesson plan to account for the missing students. “It is good that students are sticking up for what’s right,” she said. “But it is annoying to change my lesson plan. I will also have to change my morning classes so everything is in sync.” Elizabeth Alexander, an English Teacher, said that she was missing half of her fourth and sixth period classes. She changed her plan for her fourth period class, but kept going with her sixth period.

Forcucci said that the plan was to, “[let] parents and students know that we respect civic engagement, but let the parents know that it is not a school sponsored event and it will be unsupervised and we cannot guarantee their safety on an off campus event.” She added that she is ”proud our students want to be engaged and are voicing their opinions.”

There were also many inconsistencies in the application of disciplinary action. The HHS Green and Gold Guide uses a “loose verbiage,” according to main office clerk Rosie Fox. McColl received a directive to mark students as a cut, rather than an unexcused absence, so they would get a detention. Danté Gonzalez, an English teacher, marked students who walked out as unexcused absences. Forcucci did not know how kids were marked for attendance, and Mr. Jackson did not respond to requests for comment. A guard stood by the door, asking students not to leave, but the students were not physically stopped, according to Woods.

​​Even as school policies and attendance rules shaped how the day unfolded, students continued to find ways to make their voices heard. For Stover, that effort is about more than a single walkout. “It’s not cool to care,” she said, “but we can change that.”