Local unions plan rallies against Trump, L.A. schools announce Unity Day 2017
Student protests in Los Angeles
In November, students from several high schools rallied at L.A. City Hall after walking out of classes to protest the election of Donald Trump. More protests are planned for this week (Reed Saxon / AP)
Teachers unions plan protests against President-elect Donald Trump across the Southland on Thursday, while Los Angeles school officials, concerned about student walkouts, have declared that Friday will be Unity Day 2017.
Trump will be inaugurated Friday in Washington, D.C. as the nation’s 45th president.
United Teachers Los Angeles and a parent organization, the National Education Assn., expect faculty protests at 300 to 350 campuses, mostly before school. Primary locations include Grand View Boulevard Elementary in Mar Vista and Arleta High School.The union is not urging students or faculty to walk out of class.
“We’re not condoning leaving school,” said Anna Bakalis, director of communications. “We just want to encourage the action for our teachers to participate in tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, L.A. Unified is preaching unity, although not necessarily solidarity, behind the new president.
“Unity Day is an opportunity for students, for schools, to focus their instructional time or day on topics that are pertinent to their schools and community, and to learn about how government works, the electoral process,” said Judy Chiasson, a coordinator with the district’s Office of Human Relations, Diversity and Equity. “And learning how they’ll be able to watch the inauguration if they want to.”
The district has put together a web page with lesson plans from such organizations as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. Altogether, they strike a neutral tone, while recognizing that emotions and concerns among students might be high — and that not all student encounters will be Local unions plan rallies against Trump, L.A. schools announce Unity Day 2017 - LA Times: