GotZoom
Senior Member
I can't wait to hear the screams of racism concerning this:
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LOS ANGELES -- Despite school lockdowns and rainy weather, some 11,000 students from nearly two dozen Los Angeles County campuses skipped school Tuesday as immigrant-rights rallies continued, leading to some arrests.
About 8,000 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District and 3,000 students from other schools countywide took part in protests Tuesday, or at least did not show up for class, LAUSD Superintendent Roy Romer said. Beginning Wednesday, LAUSD students who do not show up for school will automatically be considered truant, Romer said.
"It's one thing to have a spontaneous demonstration of free speech, but it's another to have continued absences," Romer said during a City Hall news conference Tuesday afternoon. "A parent has a legal obligation to have their youngsters in school."
Truant students could face discipline ranging from suspension to exclusion from certain school-sponsored functions, officials said.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Police Department and county Sheriff's Department will issue citations to truant students. Youths cited by law enforcement officials can face fines up to $200 and 20 days of community service, according to police Chief William Bratton.
"Our first priority is to keep our kids safe, that they need to be back in school," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said after meeting with Romer, Bratton and Sheriff Lee Baca this afternoon. "And it's important for parents to understand that beginning today we will be strictly applying our truancy laws."
The students have been marching in opposition to a House bill, passed in December, cracking down on illegal immigration, making it a federal offense to enter or remain in the country illegally. The U.S. Senate is debating immigration legislation this week.
Baca said adults were the likely masterminds behind the protests and warned they would be prosecuted if their identities are uncovered. Villaraigosa said it remained unclear Tuesday who coordinated the school walkouts.
The protests, now in their third consecutive school day, led to some tense moments outside Carson High School, where about 200 to 300 students rallied and some clashed with sheriff's deputies.
Sgt. Nick Burns of the Compton Sheriff's Station said three juveniles were arrested. He said he did not know if they were Carson High School students or from other schools.
One was arrested for battery on a peace officer, another for resisting a peace officer and the third for disorderly conduct, he said.
In San Pedro, about 500 students marched along a stretch of the Harbor (110) Freewayleading toward the Vincent Thomas Bridge, Bratton said. Police managed to herd the youths off the freeway before they reached the bridge and cited about 100 of them for truancy.
An additional 2,000 students participated in protests in front of the Van Nuys courthouse, Bratton said.
"Their actions are causing a strain on the police department's ability to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls," Bratton said.
The student protests are also putting a strain on school district finances. Romer said districts receive state funding of about $28 per day per student who attends school. With about 8,000 students absent today, the protests cost the LAUSD roughly $224,000.
http://www.nbc4.tv/education/8312992/detail.html
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LOS ANGELES -- Despite school lockdowns and rainy weather, some 11,000 students from nearly two dozen Los Angeles County campuses skipped school Tuesday as immigrant-rights rallies continued, leading to some arrests.
About 8,000 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District and 3,000 students from other schools countywide took part in protests Tuesday, or at least did not show up for class, LAUSD Superintendent Roy Romer said. Beginning Wednesday, LAUSD students who do not show up for school will automatically be considered truant, Romer said.
"It's one thing to have a spontaneous demonstration of free speech, but it's another to have continued absences," Romer said during a City Hall news conference Tuesday afternoon. "A parent has a legal obligation to have their youngsters in school."
Truant students could face discipline ranging from suspension to exclusion from certain school-sponsored functions, officials said.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Police Department and county Sheriff's Department will issue citations to truant students. Youths cited by law enforcement officials can face fines up to $200 and 20 days of community service, according to police Chief William Bratton.
"Our first priority is to keep our kids safe, that they need to be back in school," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said after meeting with Romer, Bratton and Sheriff Lee Baca this afternoon. "And it's important for parents to understand that beginning today we will be strictly applying our truancy laws."
The students have been marching in opposition to a House bill, passed in December, cracking down on illegal immigration, making it a federal offense to enter or remain in the country illegally. The U.S. Senate is debating immigration legislation this week.
Baca said adults were the likely masterminds behind the protests and warned they would be prosecuted if their identities are uncovered. Villaraigosa said it remained unclear Tuesday who coordinated the school walkouts.
The protests, now in their third consecutive school day, led to some tense moments outside Carson High School, where about 200 to 300 students rallied and some clashed with sheriff's deputies.
Sgt. Nick Burns of the Compton Sheriff's Station said three juveniles were arrested. He said he did not know if they were Carson High School students or from other schools.
One was arrested for battery on a peace officer, another for resisting a peace officer and the third for disorderly conduct, he said.
In San Pedro, about 500 students marched along a stretch of the Harbor (110) Freewayleading toward the Vincent Thomas Bridge, Bratton said. Police managed to herd the youths off the freeway before they reached the bridge and cited about 100 of them for truancy.
An additional 2,000 students participated in protests in front of the Van Nuys courthouse, Bratton said.
"Their actions are causing a strain on the police department's ability to respond to emergency and non-emergency calls," Bratton said.
The student protests are also putting a strain on school district finances. Romer said districts receive state funding of about $28 per day per student who attends school. With about 8,000 students absent today, the protests cost the LAUSD roughly $224,000.
http://www.nbc4.tv/education/8312992/detail.html
I hold no hard feelings for my families loss of Spanish Land Grants...so what is up your... excuse me... "Butt'! 
