Amid reports that students throughout the district were taking the day off from school Monday in protest of President Trump’s new immigration policies which now allow ICE arrests in schools and churches, Houston ISD officials are also facing a sickout this Wednesday.
In regards to the possible ICE raids, students and their families want more communication from HISD about how it intends to handle the new freedom that arresting officers will have to come onto their campuses. Student demands come a day after Sunday’s massive protest march in Houston that attracted thousands who oppose Trump’s immigration decrees.
At noon Monday a small group of protestors lined up in front of the Hattie Mae White administration building to deliver their testimonials about why they will be keeping their children out of school for all or part of Wednesday. The sickout may also extend to teachers. And there will be a protest at Wharton Dual Language School, 900 W. Gray, starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Slightly outnumbered by the media,, members of the group brought up longstanding complaints: that they want Superintendent Mike Miles to leave, that the academic approach he has installed focusing on daily test scores is oppressive and that they want a return to an elected school board instead of a state-appointed Board of Managers.
They also feel that HISD is not doing enough to protect students from possible ICE raids. They want Miles to issue a stronger message of support for students in a district with a high percentage of Hispanic students and known for a regular influx of students from several countries.
Late Monday, HISD issued this statement:
“HISD has always, and will always, continue to support and educate every student who walks through our doors. While our commitment to students has not changed, we know this is an uncertain time for many in the Houston community. We will do everything within our power to ensure stability and continuity of care for our students while they are in our schools, and the safest place for our students to be during the school week is in school.”
Kelly Blickre, a parent and member of the Community Voices for Public Education, said “We’re asking families across Houston to join us this Wednesday, February 5, for a district-wide student sickout. She referred to “the continued harm to students under Mike Miles and the erosion of community trust under his leadership.” She is keeping her son home on Wednesday.
She said parents and children have been “sidelined,” that their input isn’t wanted or considered by the district.
Blickre outlined three choices for parents who wish to remove their children from school on Wednesday. Keep them out the whole day; pick them up after attendance is taken in the morning, or remove them from school after lunch.
Parent Fred Woods who is the president of Northwood Manor Civic Club, called the sickout “an act of civil disobedience” in protest of the takeover of HISD. “I must continue to demonstrate resistance where there remains zero accountability,” he said.
Adriena Yzquierdo, another parent, addressed the group in Spanish and emphasized the need for programs like dual language as well as protection for students from ICE raids.
Briana Mohan, parent of a tenth grader and a sixth grader, said she will be keeping her children out of school on Wednesday,, “Because I have to use the power that I possess as a parent to oppose the state takeover, to protect the violent, oppressive and harmful tactics that Mike Miles employs against everyone in this community that’s involved in education, and to demonstrate my solidarity with other parents, teachers, administrators and community members.”
She also called for being able to read whole books at every limit and every school in Houston.
Asked why they are not satisfied with the achievements in test scores under the New Education System approach of constant testing, community activist Ruth Kravetz, a co-founder of CVPE, responded by accusing Miles of manipulating test scores by keeping lower performing students out of certain standardized testing. Specifically, the results of biology testing which led the state in improvement, which she said, was accompanied by a 70 percent drop in the number of students taking that test. “He only allowed the honors students in 9th grade to take biology.”
