By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW – Reaction to Friday’s walkout by about 90 animated and angry Warsaw High School students prompted strong reactions afterward.
School administrators did their best to dissuade the protest. Students eagerly and angrily resisted, and a few parents and many online commentators applauded efforts by the young people to voice their concerns over the ongoing federal immigration crackdown.
Coverage from local media prompted several thousand online comments.
A similar student protest was held in Evansville on Friday and other rallies have happened in northern Indiana in the past two weeks.
Word of a possible protest in Warsaw spread last weekend after a student-made flyer inaccurately suggested that administrators and police would accommodate their plans.
The poster was then shared online by the Kosciusko County Democratic Party, which urged students to act responsibly and stay safe.
The school corporation responded with multiple warnings that students leaving campus before the end of the school day would be considered truant. They also stressed that the school does not sponsor, endorse, or supervise student walkouts.
A fact sheet sent out to staff ahead of the march instructed teachers about how to respond.
Numerous parents and supporters of the Anti-ICE movement gathered beforehand near the high school campus to observe and protect student interests.
Students walked out at the start of the final period, but remained on campus until class was dismissed, thereby avoiding being considered truant.
They then began a long, animated march to the Kosciusko County Courthouse, where they marched around two county office buildings before heading to Central Park and eventually circling back to the courthouse lawn.
Janniah Johnson, a sophomore who helped organize the march, said they wanted their voices to be heard without getting in trouble at school.
“I hope that they just understand that just because we’re kids doesn’t mean we don’t see what’s going on and that we don’t understand,” Johnson said.
“It’s our family, it’s our friends, it’s our people, our neighbors — people we go to school with, people our families work with, it’s everyone around us, and it’s affecting all of us not just the adults that can vote.”
A mother who declined to give her name said she wanted to keep an eye on the rally, which included one of her children, to ensure everything went well.
She offered her thoughts afterward.
“It’s beautiful, the kids behaved the entire time, they kept voicing their opinion, and knew what to do and what not to do,” she said.
“They’re doing it for passion and love. They’re not here for hatred. They’re here because they care,” she said.
The school issued a statement acknowledging the walkout afterward.
“In light of recent events across the state and circulating rumors, Warsaw Community Schools had communicated multiple reminders to students and families regarding safety procedures and attendance expectations outlined in the Student-Parent Handbook, the statement read.
“While we respect that students may have strong personal beliefs, we are required to prioritize student safety and maintain a secure, supervised learning environment during the school day,” the statement read.
The protest included a brief incident when marchers reached the corner of Market and South Buffalo streets, and a man allegedly assaulted an adult woman and spat in her face.
The woman and others said the man had been encouraging motorists not to stop as a woman was helping guide students across the street near Maggie’s Coffee and Treats. That led to some yelling between the two before the man lunged at her and tried to grab her eyeglasses and a knit cap.
A 51-year-old man fitting the description provided by witnesses was arrested.
The incident left some at the rally a bit shocked.
“I can’t believe somebody actually tried to get drivers to hit kids and lunged forward toward another human for no reason,” said the parent mentioned earlier in the story.
