Students across the Grossmont Union High School District are organizing a district-wide walkout in the wake of the school board’s decision to cut teacher-librarians and other staffing positions, such as school counselors.
Immediately following the 4-1 decision to cut staff at the Feb. 27 special meeting, the Instagram account @studentsforstaff.guhsd, which has now amassed just under 1,000 followers, made its first post calling for a peaceful protest on March 11.
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Maggie Kelly, a senior at Grossmont High School, is behind the account. Kelly is also one of two seniors elected to sit in on board meetings and provide reports this year.
She said the initial idea was to hold a walk-out at Grossmont High School, but she decided to make it district-wide. On the account, she said, she put out a call for student leaders at each high school to help organize the event on their campuses.
“I ended up thinking it would be cool if I started a subcommittee on each campus to make sure that it’s spreading on every campus because I can’t be at every school at once,” Kelly said. “But I also wanted to get to know other student leaders and make sure that they were also making active initiatives.”
Those student leaders at nine of the district’s high schools – Monte Vista, West Hills, El Capitan, El Cajon Valley, Mount Miguel, Valhalla, Grossmont, Granite Hills, and Santana – decided to start their own respective Instagram accounts to further spread the word.
An important aspect of the walkout, Kelly said, is that it is not aiming to make a political statement outside of asking for the district to spare their staff.
Maggie Taylor, left, talks with fellow Grossmont HS student at sign-making event (Photo by Tessa Balc/ Times of San Diego)“I want this movement to be as removed from politics as possible,” Kelly said. “I want all students to feel that they can participate and that we’re a united voice saying these things. Because at the end of the day, it’s down to facts and not politics. They have the money, and they’re cutting these people that help us. Whether we’re liberal, conservative, Republican or Democratic. They help all of us.”
At Grossmont High School, Kelly said, the movement has grown. Students put up flyers that said “No staff, No student” and a QR code for the Instagram account around the school without her direction.
“Student leaders from every campus are coming together to spread this message. ASB leaders, but also just students who sit in the libraries during lunch and students who have voices that they never get to share with people. They’re speaking up for this cause,” she said.
“It’s cool to me because we always focus on how staff support students, but we as students never really get to do anything to support our staff…Now we have this great opportunity to stand up for them and to be their voice when they can’t use their own because they have to listen to their union and do what they can.”
Lu Hassan, one of the student leaders organizing the West Hills walkout, said that while she has never been a part of a demonstration, this one felt important for her to be a part of, considering how she and others have benefited from the resources set to be cut.
“I also don’t have a printer, so I go to the library for that, and when I heard that they were firing librarians and it was also going to effect teachers, counselors, psychologists, that kind of, like, drove me,” Hassan said. “I personally don’t use the psychologists, but I get that it also benefits other students and kids who are in need of that.”
On Sunday afternoon, around 10 students filtered in and out of Mast Park throughout the afternoon to make signs for Tuesday’s walkout. One of those in attendance was Vani Nguyen, a junior at West Hills High School. She said, the support across the school caused her to come out and prepare for the protest.
“It’s incredibly reflective of the work that our librarians and our teachers do, and that’s how that’s how much they mean to us,” Nguyen said. “Everybody is taking this seriously, and nobody really is making light of it either. I’ve never seen our school be so united over something.”
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