A large number of Plano East Senior High students staged a walkout during school on Friday. The protests reportedly stemmed from an incident of sexual harassment between two students. Demonstrators say that they were not satisfied with the administration’s response to the alleged incident.
“People are mad because the principal just seemed to blow it off,” said one student who asked not to be identified. “Somebody should do something because this just doesn’t seem right.”
Plano ISD officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the alleged incident. Nor did they respond to questions regarding what, if any, action was taken by school administrators in response.
District spokesperson Rosemary Gladden confirmed that Plano East administrators were aware of the potential demonstration ahead of time. She said that they shared guidance and policies with student organizers and provided guidelines to campus staff, keeping student safety a top priority.
“Students are allowed, by policy, to peacefully invoke their first amendment rights. As school employees, campus staff members cannot prevent this act of student expression, nor can they participate in organizing or promoting it,” she said. “However, in the interest of safety for all, school staff and designated safety personnel are prepared to monitor students if a demonstration occurs. Policy also states that student expression may not materially and substantially interfere with school operations, allowing schools to establish an appropriate time, place and manner in which this student-led initiative can occur.”
No incidents were reported during the student-led demonstration. The exact number of students who participated has not been revealed
Hey, a student from PESH here who spoke at the protest today. The school placed us in an isolated building (indoor football field) to keep the protest away from the main campus. While we are thankful our voices are being heard, we felt silenced by only being allowed to protest in a building separated from the rest of campus for only a twenty minute period. While many of us did stay past that twenty minute period, our principal spoke with the students and did not give us, as students, true answers of the change happening. Everyone I ask who he said was involved with the change say it’s very base level and continuing to perpetrate the fact that this is not seen as a massive school matter and demeans it to something that should dealt amongst students (he specifically mentioned our student senate helping to reform, in which the student senators were given very base level ways of dealing with this themselves by our principal). I am not saying that change isn’t beginning, but while our word is out it feels as if much has yet to change. I hope this magazine continues to talk to the students of PISD to spread the word of the change that needs to happen not only at PESH but district wide. The protest was not sparked out of an isolated incident, this happens across all Plano campuses and the voices of those affected must be raised. I hope you all continue coverage on this. Thank you.
These kids really do not know what they are doing. I bet half of these students went to the “protest” to skip class. If you really want change, stop posting on social media and damaging other’s reputation. Instead, bring this situation to the superintendent.
Pesh student here, only incidents that occurred was the insufferable fight that no one except the ones near know what was the cause of it. Plus, the amount of people who ran to go see the fight or left from either being pulled out from administrators saying, “Protest time is over.” And then you had the people who left not knowing what was going on. King got upset after (what was obvious, the people who just hated him or were there to skip) people threw empty water bottles and trash. Once all the people who left (to save their reputation or skip), there was only a handful of the full athletic center left. Many of the organizers/victims/friends of victims stood in a circle, pissed at adults and the students who left. In that short time, many victims bravely stood up and told their story and how not just PESH but other PISD schools had done nothing to help their cases. King had tried leaving after being upset but we pulled him back, demanding answers or what was his plan to help victims and handling future cases. King came back after we promised we’d be more civil than the last, and like promised through frustration we stayed as calm as we could. In all honesty, his plan completely contradicted what he said admin was doing. Or sounded completely on the spot with the way he would pause over some questions or repeat what he previously said to a past question that had nothing to do with the current question’s topic. What left many of us on the edge is when a victim of abuser, Austin Hall had told her story and learning that he had already previously been assaulting girls since freshman-sophomore. (Possibly even earlier). King was silent for more than thirty seconds and just told us he couldn’t say anything. Absolutely frustrating how he couldn’t even tell us he wouldn’t be on campus any longer or would be receiving heavy punishment.