On Wednesday, students from Fulmore Middle School in Austin, Texas demonstrated that they wouldn’t stand for hate. After a teacher in a Social and Emotional Learning class reportedly told a student who was speaking Spanish to “go back to Mexico,” students walked out, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The incident occurred two weeks ago, but in that time, the young protesters felt the school hadn’t done enough to address the issue. While the community received a letter stating the school wouldn’t tolerate hurtful and bigoted comments after “an adult staff member made an insensitive statement to a student,” the note didn’t address specifics about the incident. However, the teacher remained at the school.
On Wednesday, students walked out, chanting “Say it loud. Say it clear. Refugees are welcome here!” Twitter user @MarissaElayne – who received a video from her niece, a student at the school – posted footage onto the social media site. The powerful clip shows children walking toward an exit.
Though students told the Statesman that the protest ended with some damage to the school, including a broken window and a partially knocked down fence, KVUE called the demonstration mostly peaceful. And it appears the students were successful. As the Austin Independent School District investigates the incident, the school has placed the teacher on administrative leave.