Students who took a stand are to be applauded
To the editor:
Across our nation people are horrified by masked “officers” killing citizens and by small children taken and held in “detention” centers. Across the nation it is children who suffer most — not just the children of those who have been detained and deported without due process, but also the friends, classmates, relatives who care about them and empathize with their pain. And yes, children no matter their situation are afraid they may be taken, too.
Brave, outraged students from Lee County schools are now protesting the presence and actions of ICE in our home county. They walked out of school to declare publicly where they stand; they exercised their rights as Americans. They are supporting the rights of those who have and may be targeted.
I applaud these students for their stand and for participating in our democracy by taking action. Our State Department of Education has a new, required curriculum on “Communism.” Certainly these students learned their lessons well. They are putting their understanding of the civil rights we all have in a democracy — no matter our immigration status — into action. No protest like this would ever be allowed under a communist system of government.
Let’s see what our School District does to facilitate peaceful protest and encourage in-depth, fact-based discussion of these events we are all aware of. The district can’t just say NO to protest. The District can’t pretend that this is not happening across our county. Now they need to free our educators to help our students understand what’s going on and help them channel their emotions into positive actions that will go beyond a walk-out — perhaps even to a change of policy.
Madelon V. Stewart
Fort Myers