Eugene has a rich history of politically active and civically engaged youth. As a district, we respect students’ voices and encourage them to be informed and engaged members of our community. Thanks to this history, Eugene School District 4J has a long-established and consistent response to student walkout demonstrations, regardless of the purpose or the viewpoints being expressed.
No matter what the topic, the district does not condone walkouts or other demonstrations that disrupt the learning environment. During school hours, students are expected to be in school—safe, supervised, and learning. When students walk out they miss instruction time and leave the safety and supervision of the school environment.
However, students are not prevented from leaving their high school or middle school to participate in a demonstration. (Elementary students must always be signed out by their parent to leave school.) Students’ attendance is recorded accurately with an unexcused absence, as it would be if they chose to be absent for other reasons. There are no school-based disciplinary consequences for simply participating in a peaceful walkout protest, although in rare cases some students have engaged in misbehavior that warranted discipline.
This is 4J’s practice for all student walkouts and skip days, regardless of the topic or viewpoint. We are proud of the responsible and respectful conduct shown by most students who have chosen to participate in demonstrations in the past, and we expect such conduct to continue in the future.
4J Attendance Policy
Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook
