A group of students at McKinley High School (Canton, Ohio) walked out of classes Friday morning in a peaceful protest related to federal immigration enforcement policies.
According to a message sent to parents by Principal Sean M. Stranger, the walkout began at approximately 10:10 a.m. Students left school property and traveled east toward Stadium Park before moving south through the park in the direction of the McKinley Monument. School officials said administrators, district security personnel and school resource officers attempted several times to persuade students to return to campus.
Many students instead continued toward Tuscarawas Avenue.
The protest was organized around concerns about actions carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement and removal operations within the United States.
District officials emphasized the demonstration remained peaceful. However, because students left school grounds during instructional hours, those who did not return were marked with unexcused absences and considered truant under school policy.
“Safety and security is the top priority in the Canton City Schools,” the principal wrote in the notice, advising parents to check the district’s Home Access Center system to confirm their student’s attendance status.
School officials did not immediately release an estimate of how many students participated.
