NEW YORK — Hundreds of students across New York City walked out of classrooms in an act of protest, expressing their opinions amid new developments in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Nearly 800 students walked out of their schools Thursday afternoon, according to city Department of Education officials, who said the walkouts occurred without incident. After leaving class, many students gathered in Bryant Park and joined a larger anti-war protest before making their way through the streets of Manhattan.
“We’re just here to say enough is enough. You can’t collectively punish thousands and thousands of people,” one student told NBC New York during the protest.
Some of the schools where students left were Fort Hamilton High School and New Utrecht High School, both in Brooklyn, as well as Jamaica High School in Queens and Beacon High School in midtown Manhattan.
The students, as well as some teachers, were calling for a ceasefire despite a DOE warning about political speech. Schools Chancellor David Banks sent an email to all Department of Education employees warning them about violating department rules when it comes to expressing political opinions, even if they express those opinions outside of the classroom on their personal time.
According to the DOE, employees can share their views outside of school and on their own free time, but only if they do so in a way that does not disrupt their school or interfere with their ability to do their job.
“When speech and action, even on personal time, undermine the mission or core functions of NYCPS, we will review and take appropriate action on a case-by-case basis,” Banks said.
One New York elementary school teacher, who did not want to be identified for fear of violating department rules, interpreted the chancellor’s warning as a form of censorship.
“If I want to protest during my free time, I could still get in trouble. What happened to my rights? Why am I not allowed to speak what I want to say?” the teacher asked.
2023-11-10 03:38:10
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