SAN JOSE (KRON) — Several South Bay high school students are walking out of school to protest Donald Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States.
About 300 students marched from high schools in San Jose to City Hall, said San Jose Unified School District spokesman Peter Allen said.
The school has not allowed the student protests, but encourages students to exercise their right to free speech, Allen said.
The district has been monitoring the students, but the protests have been peaceful so far.
“It’s great to see kids getting engaged and speaking their minds,” Allen said.
Protests throughout the Bay Area began on Wednesday which was the day after the election.
Most of the students planned the walkouts through social media.
Some students say they are worried their views will not be represented. They say they are also concerned about not being able to see their families who live outside the U.S.
These are some of the walkouts planned for Thursday:
- Mount Pleasant High School in San Jose
- Santa Clara High School
- Several San Jose schools including Mount Pleasant High School, William C. Overfelt High School
- Summit Rainier High School in San Jose
While the district hasn’t authorized the student protest, it encourages students to be civically engaged and exercise their rights to free speech, Allen said.
About 500 Gunderson High School students also held a stand-in at the campus quad during lunchtime Thursday speaking out their concerns about Trump becoming the country’s next president, according to Allen.
On Wednesday, about 200 to 300 Lincoln High School students gathered at the quad during the lunch hours sharing their thoughts on the presidential election results over a microphone and public address system
provided by school staff, Allen said.
One student at Lincoln High spoke in support of Trump while everyone around him allowed him to discuss his opinion, according to Allen.