Shortridge students protest ICE along Meridian Street

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A friend who is too afraid to come to school and take an important test. Rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a nearby park. A drop in attendance.

Shortridge High School students have seen these impacts as ICE has come to their community. More than 100 of them poured onto the sidewalk outside the school on Friday to protest federal immigration efforts that have sparked violence and fear.

The protest capped a week of demonstrations held by high school students across Marion County and central Indiana — outside of schools, at the statehouse, and even in the middle of major streets — to object to the heightened presence of ICE agents nationwide, two of whom killed two people in Minneapolis last month.

“The current administration in the White House claims they’re only arresting felons, criminals and people who are dangerous to our communities. However, if that is true, then why are we arresting children who cannot defend themselves?” said junior Campbell Bell, one of the protest organizers. “If that is true, why are we arresting United States citizens purely based on the color of their skin?”

Students at Shortridge — located in the heart of the city along the Meridian Street thoroughfare — elicited honks from school buses, a city bus, and other cars as they held signs and chanted during the fourth and final class period of the day.

“America is supposed to be a place where we can all be free, and we can all have our own opinions, and we can just all live happily,” said junior Evelyn Peter, one of the organizers. “Hard workers are not the criminals — our president is.”

In November, Indianapolis Public Schools faced a lawsuit from Attorney General Todd Rokita that claimed the district prevented the voluntary deportation of a Honduran man. The man wanted to leave the country with his son, an IPS student, who went to school against his father’s wishes, the lawsuit states. District officials refused to provide access to the student.

The protest comes as IPS considers changing its policies to respond to Rokita’s lawsuit. The district has rescinded resolutions signaling support for undocumented students and has floated a new policy on student access, safety, and privacy.

The district maintains that it supports all students and employees and has noted other state and federal laws that protect immigrant families, including the federal Families and Educational Rights Private Act, which restricts schools’ ability to provide student information to outside parties.

Olivia Ranney, a freshman, said she’s proud to go to a district that fights for her friends and families.

“I see a lot of these people as my family in many, many ways, and I think that knowing that we have adults that work at our schools and that work in our district fighting for the same cause makes me feel better about it,” she said.

While some students at other schools face disciplinary action from their walkouts, Shortridge organizers said they met multiple times with administration ahead of the protest.

Students originally planned to walk two miles down Meridian Street to join Herron High School students in protest, but held the walkout on school grounds in a compromise with school administration.

In a statement, the district said it respects students’ desire “to engage with the world around them and to make their voices heard.”

“We also remain committed to maintaining the safety of our students, and expect students, families, and staff to adhere to our Student Code of Conduct policy,” the district said.

Owen Alvis, a junior, encouraged fellow teenagers to learn more about the country’s immigration enforcement situation.

“I would just urge teenagers to do your research and get involved, because every little thing counts,” Alvis said. “And when it’s time for us to step up, we’ll be ready.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.