Fifty students have been suspended from the all-male Frederick Douglass Academy in Detroit after participating in a walkout. The students were protesting because they felt like they were not getting an adequate education.
From the Detroit Free Press:
About 50 high school students at Frederick Douglass Academy in Detroit were suspended Thursday after walking out of classes to protest a host of issues at the all-boys school.
The concerns included a lack of consistent teachers and the removal of the principal.
The boys, dressed in school blazers, neckties and hoodies, chanted, “We want education!” as they marched outside the school.
Parents organized the walkout because they fear for the school’s future. As recently as last month, students spent weeks passing time in the gym, library or cafeteria due to a lack of teachers, parents said.
Worries escalated after district offices moved into part of the building in January, and the school was not listed as an application school for next year. Current students had to apply to attend Douglass.
In addition, the school’s founding principal, Sean Vann, was reassigned when he returned Wednesday after a three-month sick leave.
“They’re failing these young black men,” said Sharise Smith, who has two sons at Douglass.
Smith said her son received an A in geometry during the first semester without taking a final exam.
BMWK family, what do you think of this protest and the suspensions? Sound off!
Great to see students standing up for their education. I hope they follow through and get the scholarly education they deserve
You Go Boys! Stand Up and Fight for what is Right!