Exclusive | Arizona school district accused of letting kids cut class for anti-ICE protest while keeping parents in the dark

WASHINGTON — Classes were put on ice.An Arizona school district is under fire for allowing hundreds of students to cut class to attend an anti-ICE protest — allegedly without notifying parents or asking for their permission to take their kids off school grounds for a politicized demonstration.Conservative non-profit America First Legal is accusing Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) of violating parents’ rights and has filed a public records request, demanding that officials release all documentation about the planning and organization of the walk-out.

Back in late January, classes were cut short across four middle and high schools in FUSD for around 800 students to gather near city hall in Flagstaff, Ariz., to rail against ICE.Staff even accompanied the students.Some parents have since claimed that they weren’t notified or asked permission for their child to leave school grounds in the middle of classes to participate in the protest.“Following the protest, FUSD stated that ‘[a]ttendance was taken during each class period [during the anti-ICE protest], and standard attendance procedures were applied if a student was not present in class,'” a complaint from America First Legal, a right-leaning advocacy group, claimed.“FUSD provided no information regarding when it first learned of the protest, how it formulated its response plan, or what consequences students faced for leaving class and school grounds without permission.”A spokesperson for FUSD told The Post that its “schools remained open and operational during the student-initiated walkout, and standard attendance and student supervision procedures were followed throughout the school day.”“FUSD continues to encourage students to express their perspectives in thoughtful and safe ways that do not disrupt learning or compromise student safety,” the spokesperson added.America First Legal, which is representing an upset parent in the school district, submitted records requests on Feb.

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