To: ASU Prep Director- Mr. Vermeer and ASU Dean of Students- Mr. Boyle

Don't Punish Students for Protesting Hate

ASU Prep students are being punished for participating in nationwide student walkouts. Sign this petition to tell ASU Prep Director Mr. Vermeer, and the Dean of students, Mr.Boyle, not to punish students who exercised their first amendment right by participating in student walkouts last week.

Why is this important?

Students in Arizona have been demonstrating their power and declaring their outrage at the election results through student led walkouts at different schools throughout Maricopa County. Students at ASU Prep who participated in student walkouts on November 10 are being given detentions.

The ASU Preparatory Academy Student Handbook for the years 2016-2017 does not outline a punishment for an unexcused absence (https://asuprep.asu.edu/sites/default/files/asu_prep_handbook.pdf).
According to the Manual for Arizona Public School Students by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, “school officials cannot punish you for missing school to participate in a political protest more harshly than they punish students for missing school for any other purpose” (p 8, http://www.acluaz.org/sites/default/files/documents/SRHFINAL.pdf).

Sign this petition and tell the ASU Prep Director, Mr. Vermeer, and the Dean of students, Mr.Boyle, not to punish students who exercised their first amendment right by participating in the student walkouts last week.

Also, call 602-496- 3109 and leave the following message for Mr. Vermeer and Mr. Boyle:

Hello, my name is _______ I am a concerned community member. I believe it is a student’s right to protest and should not receive harsher punishment for missing class to join the walkouts last week. I believe it is a violation of their first amendment right. I want to ask Mr. Boyle and Mr. Vermeer to relieve students from detention or any other punishment given for participating in the student walk out.