Students at a number of Cobb County high schools walked out of classes and other school activities Friday afternoon to protest federal immigration operations in Minnesota that havd galvanized opposition across the country.
Dozens of students at Sprayberry High School in East Cobb gathered at the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and Piedmont Road, across from the school, holding signs and getting motorists to honk in support.
Local videographer Andrew Register sent us the footage below and the photos in this post from the Sprayberry protest that included interviews with some students.
A smaller group of students gathered outside Wheeler High School on Holt Road in East Cobb on Friday afternoon as well, as students around Georgia coordinated protests agains the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency raids in the Minneapolis area.
Two protesters there were shot and killed in recent weeks by U.S. Border Patrol agents involved in activities to remove illegal immigrants.
The Cobb County School District issued a statement early this week saying that students who disrupted class activities would be subject to its student code of conduct, including out-of-school suspension and “the potential loss of parking privileges, sports, and extracurricular privileges. Each has long-lasting impacts that could be taken into account by college admission offices and future employers.”
Students organizing the walkouts complained that threatened their free-speech rights, and Cobb students published an open letter demanding mental-health services due to “immigration-related stress” but the school district did not respond.
On Wednesday Sprayberry principal David Church wrote an open letter to the school community saying that he and his staff met with students and staff, as well as parents, “to help students find ways to share their voice, support causes they care about and express their views, all while staying within the guidelines of the school district.
“I am proud of our students for having the courage to come forward with their ideas and questions.”
Church added in his letter that proceeds from the Sprayberry Student-Principal Advisory Committee’s winter dance on Thursday will be used “to support a group benefitting local families and children.”
A message posted by a Wheeler student protest organizer after the walkout Friday expressed disappointment with the turnout, “as this morning, admin had threatened students again through announcements, and many felt scared to walk out—but we would advise you not to be discouraged.
“We see all of you, and we are so grateful to have members of our community that have the compassion and motivation to speak up for what is right,” said the message, which did not include any names.
“Today’s events should not be seen as signs of failure, but rather as an increasingly evident fact that there is still so much work to do, and that we have to realize we have more power than we think.”
The Wheeler student message said that Principal Sara Fetterman “has spoken about other opportunities and alternatives that we can pursue to be civically engaged, and we encourage students to work together to find out more ways to stand up for this cause.”
Related:
- ICE walkout group responds to Cobb school district statement
- Cobb school district warns students about ICE walkouts
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- Ga. bill would require school boards to air public comments
- Mt. Bethel Christian Academy STAR student and teacher named
- Cobb schools financial watchdog launches website
- Cobb school district 2026-27 transfer window to open
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