Please Note: This post will updated following the Board’s vote on this proposal.
At the height of youth activism this past year, a striking controversy emerged when Montgomery County students received unexcused absences for attending protests in Washington DC. The Montgomery County Public Schools’ board members have recently addressed this pressing issue by voting unanimously for preliminary approval of a proposed policy change at their meeting on September 11.
This policy change would allow students to have three excused absences for attending protests during the school day. However, students would need to receive written permission from a parent, a sponsoring organization, and their school’s principal.
The issue has always existed in schools but was thrust into the spotlight after the Parkland High School shooting in February. Many MCPS students walked out of school and went to the nation’s capital to protest the continuous gun violence. They participated in 17 minutes of silence in front of the White house on March 14, which marked the one month anniversary of the Florida shooting. However, they ended up missing class and therefore received unexcused absences, since schools could not guarantee the students’ safety while they were not on campus.
Walter Johnson (WJ) Principal Jennifer Baker also cites safety as her top priority when arranging a demonstration on the WJ campus during the day of the Parkland school protests.
“We decided here to give students the opportunity to demonstrate and have a voice and to do that here on campus where we knew they would be safe,” Baker said.
She believes it is very important for students to be informed about national and global issues and to be able to fight for what they believe in. Students around the county are very passionate about voicing their opinions and allowing their voices to be heard, and because of this, Baker believes the implementation of this new policy would fit in perfectly with the culture of WJ and our county.
“I think it would blend nicely with the current level of activism that we have here and help students be involved in important topics and become knowledgeable, so I think it would be a good thing.” Baker said.
Multiple MCPS board members have spoken out about the decision, citing the importance of encouraging students to get involved in civic engagement and preparing them to be active participants in our democracy.
Walter Johnson senior Matt Garfinkel strongly believes that students should get involved in protests, as he has attended several himself. He has received unexcused absences, but that did not deter him from standing up for what he believes in.
“I can miss a day of school, but in the grand scheme of things it’s more important to participate in democracy,” Garfinkel said.
While many adults in our country can make an impact in our government and democracy by voting, many kids and teenagers do not have this same opportunity. Therefore, protests are the perfect tool for students to use in order to feel represented.
“I think a lot of lawmakers think that because we’re not voting constituents, our voices don’t matter as much, but I think sending the message that that’s absolutely false and that we’ll be voting soon enough is an important statement to make,” Garfinkel said.
Bethesda Chevy-Chase junior Susan Collard also feels strongly that instilling the idea that students can still be involved in our democracy, even at a young age, is vital.
“I think that getting involved in protests at a young age encourages future democratic participation, which is very important,” Collard said.
Even though there is widespread for this policy change, there is still doubt about how this plan will actually pan out.
“I’m not sure how it will work in practice, but it’s nice to know the county supports our right to protest,” Collard said.
This is something that has not been put in place before in our county, so people have concerns about the outcomes of the implementation, including student safety and the impact on education, due to missed school days.
The school board will revisit the proposal in early November to make final decisions after they hear the opinions of Montgomery County residents.
Article by Moco Student staff writer Courtney Cohn of Walter Johnson High School