On May 6, students from Boston Latin School and ten other high schools walked out of class in support of a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
As part of the Boston Students Palestine Coalition, students from high schools across the Boston area, including BLS, Boston Latin Academy and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, organized and attended the walkout. The coalition planned the walkout a week beforehand and publicized it through social media platforms such as Instagram on May 3.
On the day of the walkout, BLS students left school after R5 and teachers supervised them to ensure that they did not interrupt classes. Students walked together to the MBTA Green Line and Boston Commons, carrying signs that called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Later in the day, they went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pro-Palestine encampment to continue their protest.
The following evening, students who had participated in the walkout were notified by email that they would each receive three detentions for missing two class periods the day before, a standard disciplinary action at BLS.
On May 9, after school, following the notification of disciplinary action, Head of School Jason Gallagher hosted a meeting with those students to discuss the walkout, respond to student concerns and answer questions. During the meeting, he apologized for the administration’s lack of communication with the students before the detentions were issued and revoked the detentions. Head of School Gallagher expressed that he was very appreciative that students conversed with him after school. He summarizes, “It was really wonderful for me to have the opportunity to listen […] and I really think it was a really good step forward for us to continue conversations going forward.”
