New Jersey Students Face Discipline After Walking Out Over ICE Protests

A group of New Jersey high school students may be disciplined for protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations this month. Family, educator, and municipal official debates have erupted over student rights, school rules, and political expression in school.

Highland Park in Middlesex County and North Plainfield in Somerset County warned students about sanctions for leaving campus without permission during protests. Student walkouts around the state this year centered on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immigration enforcement.

The North Plainfield school administrators informed protesting pupils of a three-hour Saturday detention. Principal Joseph Krouse wrote to families about three violations: cutting class, leaving school property without permission, and disrupting class.

A group of 250 kids with posters supporting immigrants gathered in North Plainfield, according to walkout videos. Numerous Latin American flags were held by students. Signs expressed pride and togetherness, praising immigrant families. One kid wrote on social media that the walkout felt like history and community activism.

About 150 Highland Park students joined a school-approved walkout after originally staying on campus. About 30 to 40 students left school and marched through the village. The students held “ICE out now” letters and chanted welcoming immigrants.

The children were told they would be suspended for one day, according to their statements. However, Highland Park Superintendent Kristina Susca assured families that the district will evaluate before disciplining. She said no first disciplinary action would be taken until all relevant evidence was evaluated.

School rules vary as shown by the two districts’ responses. Student walkouts and political protests in New Jersey have no statewide norm. Attendance and off-campus behavior restrictions vary by district.

Parents also worry about long-term consequences of discipline. Suspensions do not appear on a student’s public record in Highland Park, but some families worry about how school discipline may affect college applications. While many institutions no longer ask about minor disciplinary infractions, some still do.

Local leaders also contributed. Highland Park Borough Council member Norma Iris Vargas opposed suspending protesting pupils. She said the punishment may not fit the crime and that many kids care about immigration since it impacts their families and communities. If punishments are needed, Vargas advised against harming pupils’ academic careers.

Education officials in North Plainfield, where over 70% of high school students are Hispanic, acknowledged that immigration enforcement has harmed some families. Somerset County educators, speaking anonymously to safeguard their jobs, said children are responding to community anxieties like family detentions and deportations.

Civil rights advocates also addressed it. American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey advice is that schools can enforce attendance standards if students miss class to protest. According to the guidance, schools cannot penalize students for political protest absences more than for other unexcused absences.

North Plainfield High School alum Brea Yumiguano publicly supported the students and pushed district authorities to create a fair protest policy. She said students were not reprimanded during a prior walkout after the Parkland, Florida, shooting. Administrators should collaborate with students to set clear boundaries that safeguard school order and student expression, she said.

Both district school officials did not reply to repeated requests for comment.

These incidents reflect a national debate about how to reconcile student activism with attendance and campus safety. Under federal law, ICE operates under the Department of Homeland Security and enforces immigration nationwide. Students can voice their opinions, but school systems can restrict conduct during class.

Families and educators are watching New Jersey districts handle these occurrences. The outcome may affect future student protests and whether school policies have clearer political demonstration policies.

North Plainfield pupils have been detentioned, while Highland Park is reviewing the situation. Immigration enforcement and its effects on local families are deeper worries for many in these areas than school discipline.