Sunday Feb. 6, 2026: A student posted on Instagram speaking on their experience with PHMS administration handling situations surrounding ICE. In the post, they detailed a planned protest each day of the week. The post received over 1,000 likes and shares.
Monday Feb. 9, 2026: “ICE OUT” pins were handed out to students. Many students wore them attached to their lanyards or backpacks to show their opposition to current events.
Later that evening, a group of students exercised their right to protest at the school board meeting. Several prepared speeches addressing concerns about how the administration had handled the situation that began the week before. Together, their remarks reflected a broader sense of frustration shared by many students.
“Many Perry students have felt unsupported,” junior Aiden Buehler said in his speech to the board. He noted that administrators did not meet with several students who had requested meetings, despite previously encouraging students in emails to come forward with their concerns. “Admin does not have time to meet and listen to the concerns of students but is also limiting their rights to protest in other ways,” Buehler added, arguing that the response contradicted the district’s stated commitment to open dialogue.
Other students called on the district to respond with greater empathy. “These are our friends, and for some of us, our family,” junior Alexandra Vance said. She argued that the administration’s message left many Perry students feeling unheard and unsupported.
Tuesday Feb. 10, 2026: Students wore black in tribute to Black History Month and to the families impacted by ICE. While students were seen wearing black, one student wore an “ILLEGALS OUT” pin in opposition to Monday’s “ICE OUT” pins.
Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026: Before school, students placed posters about ICE on their windshields in order to ensure that they did not break school policy and “disrupt the normal educational activities” by bringing posters inside the school building. One student had a poster with the statement “You Can’t Love the Culture and Not Support the People.” Later that day, their poster was written over with explicit words telling the student to shut up along with their car being keyed.
Friday Feb 13, 2026: A walkout was originally planned during advisory but a new plan was made and students walked out at 1:55 to the sidewalk outside with entrances holding posters as students were dismissed. Students displayed signs with messages such as “None of This is Normal” and “Fight Ignorance not Immigrants.” Several buses exiting the parking lot honked in support of the students.
