Student Walkout Update

The National Lawyers Guild has offered to provide a free defense (the organization says is worth a thousand dollars) to defend any student cited for participating in the protest rallies this week.

Thousands of kids walked out of their middle and high schools on Monday and Tuesday to reprise their Saturday march in downtown Los Angeles on a smaller scale. The school districts in SoCal estimated that at least 40,000 were absent from class, but no action was taken against them.

LAUSD school administrators referred to a directive sent out last October 26th by Dan Isaacs from the Office of the Chief Operating Officer, which admonished them “Do not attempt to prevent students from leaving the campus.” Many students were warned, however, that they could be subject to fines and suspension.

The California Education Code, section 48260 (a) states “Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the schoolday without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.”

Also, 48264. “The attendance supervisor or his or her designee, a peace officer, a school administrator or his or her designee, or a probation officer may arrest or assume temporary custody, during school hours, of any minor subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education found away from his or her home and who is absent from school without valid excuse within the county, city, or city and county, or school district.”

Hundreds of LAUSD students that walked out again Wednesday were stopped by LAPD officers and given citations, which will require them, and in many cases, their parents, to appear in municipal court. The fines could be from $200 up, plus court costs.

Late Wednesday, the NLG established a Student Walkout Hotline (310-712-6373), which gives a pre-recorded instruction (in English or Spanish) to collect information on the citation, names of witnesses and other defendants, etc, and leave their phone number for a return call from a NLG volunteer.

MAPA also planning boycott

The Mexican American Political Association has announced plans to stage “A Day Without Latinos” for Monday, April 10th, in 20 major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles. Another similar protest is scheduled for Monday, May 1st, traditionally celebrated as May Day by Socialists throughout the world.

MAPA President Nativo Lopez, who helped organize the 500,000-person Los Angeles march last Saturday, says “We are asking people not to go to school, or work, or shopping, and instead go out and protest against racist and inhumane measures,” referring to immigration legislation being considered.