YAKIMA, Wash. – Students at Davis High School took to the streets on Fri., March 29 for a second day of protesting the Yakima School District’s decision to lay off district staff.
The primary concern of the students is that teachers and staff that they know may not be employed at their schools next year.
“We started this to get the word out there that we think they should find another solution to keep our teachers,” said junior Amalia Hernandez.
Students held signs at the protest, with one saying “my teacher taught me to stand up for myself, now I stand up for them,” while another said “knowledge is power and it begins with teachers.”
“I feel like if the money wasn’t unnecessarily spent, then there wouldn’t have been teachers that had to be let go,” said senior Daeshjia Watley. “So that’s why we’re out here protesting. We’re protesting for the justice of teachers.”
Students at the protest said that they know multiple teachers who will be impacted by the cuts, with one noting that it may impact the DHS band program.
The school district said on Friday that this is a very complex issue, however they respect the students’ voices and that they are proud that the students want to stand up for their teachers.
YSD hopes to speak with students and others interested in the complexity of the budget realignment when school starts back up after spring break.
