Letter: Lakewood district failed to protect students who walked out for protest

Published 1:30 am Sunday, March 1, 2026

I recently read an article posted on HeraldNet referencing a walkout by students attending Lakewood High School and Maddle School (“Lakewood student walkout ends after man makes alleged threats,” The Herald, Feb. 6). I am very concerned that the schools allow students to participate in such events where they are led to believe it’s OK. The district spokesperson, Kristina Bowman, was quoted as saying that “it was not a school- of district-sponsored event.” Does this mean that each of of these particiapting students received and unexcused absence from class or some other reprimand, or are we just going to allow the behavior because the kids are just expressing themselves in reference to actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they deem to be immoral?

Of course, this is a divided cultural issue.

The district spokesperson commented that the “school responsibility as a school is to ensure student safety.”

Though the students felt it was OK to mimic what has been coined “peaceful protest” that has been taking place in other areas of the country, why would we think it is OK for the kids to skip class to do this when a peaceful protest can change on a dime to be less peaceful. Here we are letting our kids miss class so they can go out on the street to play grownup, waiting for some nutjob with an opposing view to show up to be confrontational.

It is indeed the school district’s responsbilitity to ensure student safety. They have failed here.

Edwin Massey

Bonney Lake