Fresno Unified Leaders Meet Students, Urge End to ICE-Related Walkouts

Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her and district leaders met with students this week to address a series of walkouts tied to nationwide protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, urging families to keep students on campus and stressing safety concerns.

The prompt for the outreach included a walkout at Hamilton K-12 and demonstrations at other district schools such as Kerman High. District and county officials reported instances where students poured into streets instead of staying on sidewalks and where items were thrown at a building, raising alarms about traffic and public-safety risks. Fresno Unified previously had staff accompany students during some walkouts to monitor safety; district officials said staff would no longer accompany students on walkouts as of last week.

Her released a video message and appeared with Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto in a joint social media post appealing to families. Her said, “We recognize and respect the important role protests play in our society,” and emphasized that the district was “disappointed that some students chose to behave in a way that does not reflect Fresno Unified’s values.” She framed safety as paramount: “The safety of students remains the district’s top priority,” and issued a direct plea: “Because student safety comes first, I am urgently asking all parents and caregivers to please, please talk with their children, encourage them to remain on campus.” Her also said the district is “committed to providing safe designated spaces on campus where students can voice their opinions, express concerns, and be heard.”

County-level education leaders moved in concert. Ten Fresno County superintendents and the county superintendent signed a joint letter that opened, “As superintendents across Fresno County, we are writing together to address recent student walkouts and to ask for your partnership in ensuring student safety and continued engagement in learning during the school day.” The letter listed signatories from Central, Clovis, Fresno, Golden Plains, Kerman, Parlier, Sanger, Selma, Washington and Westside Elementary school districts and warned parents that “we have also heard that some students are being approached online by adults outside the school community to organize protests, further increasing safety risks.”

Students organized on-campus alternatives. A Thursday forum titled “We are Young, Not Silent” was arranged by students with Nicole Vargas, the campus culture director, and attended by Superintendent Her and Trustee Keshia Thomas. Vargas said, “What we’re seeing throughout our district, throughout our valley and throughout our nation is students that want to be heard.” Computech student body President Tyrese Jones told attendees, “I want to speak for all schools, not just ours, to state that the stuff happening in our generation is not OK, and students in schools should not worry about if they are going to get taken by ICE.” Jones added, “We do walk-outs to try and teach a lesson to people who don’t know and those who do.”

Neighbors provide contrast. In Clovis Unified, district officials and the Clovis Police Department announced intent to seek misdemeanor charges against adults who participated in or encouraged students to leave campus, a step Fresno County leaders cited as an example of the legal risks outside adults may face. Officials in other Bay Area districts have notified law enforcement in advance of student protests as part of safety planning.

The local response places Fresno Unified at the intersection of student free-speech claims and operational responsibilities for safety and instruction. For parents and caregivers, the immediate implications are clear: district leaders are asking families to keep students on campus, promising supervised on-campus venues for expression, and warning that off-campus demonstrations that move into traffic carry safety and potential legal consequences. The next phase for Fresno Unified will be whether supervised forums and the suspension of staff accompaniment on walkouts reduce street protests while preserving students’ ability to organize and be heard.