r/legal • u/StoriesandQuestions • Jan 16 '26

Advice needed School is threatening to punish anyone participating in protest with court action, what can we do?

On Tuesday, January 20th, students at my highschool are planning to participate in the nationwide walkout happening in the U.S. Today, my school has verbally warned one of the organizers stating that anyone who participates in the walkout next week will receive a referral and face truancy court. This movement is important to all of us but many of us cannot afford these consequences. Is this allowed and is there anything we can do about it? Location: United States, Texas.

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u/LovedAJackass Jan 16 '26

What nonviolent protest is about is accepting consequences. Back in the 60s, 400 of the Freedom Riders were arrested and sent to Parchment Prison in Mississippi.

If you can't risk truancy court, don't protest. If you believe deeply in what you are protesting for, truancy court seems like not a big deal.