Multiple Upper Perkiomen High School students left the building on Wednesday morning to protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Approximately 20 to 25 marched around the building, located at 2 Walt Road in Red Hill, during school hours.

Students protesting the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement march past the gymnasium entrance to Upper Perkiomen High School.

             Students were visible exiting the front of the school around 10:30 a.m. Some held signs denouncing the agency that operates within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. One spoke into a bullhorn. Chanting anti-ICE slogans, they marched past the gymnasium entrance and made a right turn towards the bus loading zone.

A counter protester holds up a sign supporting the U.S. Immig- ration and Customs Enforcement and President Trump.

            Approximately 10 to 15 students supporting ICE quickly formed. They passed each other in the gymnasium parking lot.

            A parked snowplow limited access to school off Walt Road. The incident lasted between 45 minutes and an hour without incident.

            Students at multiple high schools across the nation have walked out of class recently in opposition to the actions of the organization.

            District spokesperson Alexis Jenofsky described the protest as a student-initiated action. She said administrators first learned of the incident after receiving multiple emails in the morning. School and district administrators and staff supervised the situation to ensure the safety of all students and to maintain an orderly school environment.

            "This was not a school-endorsed event," Jenofsky wrote.

            According to the spokesperson, students who leave the school building during the school day without administrative permission or parent sign-out are in violation of school rules. She wrote that they will be subject to the same consequences as any other unexcused absence or cutting of class, in accordance with the district's attendance and school discipline policies.

            Board Policy 220 affirms that students have the right to express their views, provided that such expression does not materially or substantially disrupt the educational process or interfere with the rights and safety of others.

            According to Jenofsky's email, the district does not encourage or discourage student participation in protests. She wrote that it does "enforce reasonable expectations regarding time, place, and manner to ensure school safety and continued instruction."