A walkout led by students took place on Thursday, Jan. 18 where students gathered to protest the FHSD Board of Education’s most recent decision to offer the Black History and Literature classes in the 2024-25 school year while changing the curriculum to be “rigorous and largely politically neutral.”
High school students across the district have organized walkouts at Francis Howell, Central, and North, and at FHC approximately 100 students exited out of the west security entrance. Junior Isabella Duncan and seniors Noah Layman and Xavier Hood led the event and spoke out as did others during the event from 11:30 a.m. to 12:16 p.m. Several participants also carried signs with them to further express their voices about the issue as well.
“If you remove the past, what will happen to our future?” a speaker said.
In an email sent out by Principal Dr. Suzanne Leake, she noted the students were “well behaved and respectful,” and the day “continued uninterrupted.” During the event, sophomore Chris Cole held a sign reading “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and said all people have to be represented.
“If one person isn’t represented then that’s not equal, and that’s not right. As a person who’s not a part of this community, I can help support them and encourage others to do so as well,” Cole said.
Hood, who got involved in organizing the walkout after talking to the leaders of the St. Charles County NAACP during the meeting at First St. Charles United Methodist Church on Dec. 28, 2023, argued that the decision made by the Board was unjust.
“It’s the students that are being affected by this, so it’s the students that need to be heard,” Hood said. “We’re hoping it really brings to light to a larger crowd what the board is doing. [We’re] making it public, making it known, and getting the word out.”
The leaders of the protest encouraged those of age to vote in order to promote change, and even those who weren’t of age to vote still attended, one of these students being junior Margaret Hendricks.
“I can’t vote but I want my opinion to be heard,” Hendricks said.
When looking out at the large gathering of students who left class to support the cause, senior Noah Layman voiced his opinion with a final declaration.
“We don’t think it’s right. We don’t think it’s okay. And we will not stand for it,” Layman said.
