JeffCo HS student speaks on behalf of protesters

You’ve probably heard about the Jefferson County school board debacle that rippled across national headlines these past couple weeks. The story is a unique one: a conservative school board looking to make controversial changes to AP History books and lessons. One could say this backfired in the worst way: civil disobedience.

Students and teachers alike have been protesting the issue with so many teachers calling for a sick-out that the schools had to shut down. The teachers are not just calling in sick to protest the new form of education: their new pay structure will be based of student performance, something they say will drive quality teachers from the state.

The students had the opportunity to hit the school district where it hurt: their wallet. Count Day, a day where the district counts the amount of students in their class and receive approximately $7,000 in federal aid per student, occurred during these protests.

Out Front got the opportunity to ask some questions of Leighanne Gray, senior at Arvada High School.

What is the school atmosphere like with the ongoing protests?

The atmosphere at our school when we have done protests is electric.  We’re all a bunch of high school students itching to make a difference in the world, and the opportunity is so exciting. When we did our walk-out almost two weeks ago, the atmosphere was so tense, but still exciting.  We didn’t know if administration would keep us from leaving (even though we knew that was illegal for them to do), or lock us inside the school, or anything of that sort. Luckily, it went off without a hitch.

Talk a bit about how the protests became organized.
All of the protests in the Arvada area were completely student organized and started on Facebook. I received a Facebook invite the Sunday before the protest, and learned that Ralston Valley, Arvada West, Pomona, and Wheat Ridge high schools were organizing together on a specific date. Only small amounts of organizing for this was done by word of mouth.

Were there strategies in place to protest on Count Day? How do you feel about such strategies?
Count Day was Wednesday. I heard about some people planning on doing it when my mom asked me, “Are you skipping school on Count Day?”
It was hard for me.  On one hand, it would show the board that I have the power to mess with their pocketbook—which is always a good threat—but on the other hand, I didn’t know if my school could handle that kind of financial strain.  Arvada High School is one of the lower funded schools in JeffCo.  Our school is roughly 60% free and reduced lunch, and Count Days afford each school $6,842 per student attended that day.  And With a majority of the school against the board and what they are doing to the AP US History course, it would be crippling for my school to have 2/3 of the school missing. Schools like Ralston Valley and Arvada West are much more well-funded schools than mine, and have a much lower rate of students on free and reduced lunch. If the majority of their students had walked out on Count Day, they could have survived.  And it would have made a massive impact on the JeffCo Board.

In what ways do you hope the protests inspire effective change?
I hope that the protests do a number of things. For one, I hope it at least shows the board what we’re made of. That we are not some “little rebels” as Julie Williams so eloquently put it, and that protesting this censorship of our history is our First Amendment right. Another thing that I hope will come out of this is that the grade levels below me realize that they can make a difference. Too many times we are brushed off and laughed at because we are “just some kids,”  but I don’t believe that for a second. The president of the Board of Education said, “I am disappointed that teacher use our students as political pawns.” His statement implies that we are sheep that rely solely on what our teachers say, rather than bold, independent thinkers and fighters of injustice. Malala Yousafzai is a great example of why every single person that say that we are “just pawns” is wrong. She took the world by storm with her bravery, compassion, and yearning to learn.  I hope to instill a sense of hope and intolerance of injustice in the generations before me. And if nothing else, I hope the Board takes back their decision on the curriculum.

photo from 9news.com