A student-organized protest addressing the recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took place at Neshaminy High School (NHS) on Feb. 12.

As news of Thursday’s protest spread across social media, both the event itself and the realities of what occurred quickly became a central topic of discussion.

The protest gained traction after an NHS student formed a group chat on the social media platform Snapchat, which was overtaken when students who opposed the protest gained access to the chat. 

These students were “trolling” the group chat by spamming inappropriate images and language, which led to some students being removed and the conversation being moved to Instagram.

“I understand there was a group chat,” NHS principal Stephen Garstka said. “That group chat has caused some hysteria among you and amongst parents, community members, and the school at large.”

As conversations about the protest circulated on social media and through the hallways, some students were unsure what information was accurate. Rather than rely on second-hand accounts, some students decided to attend to see the situation firsthand.

“I came here to observe, to see what’s going on,” one attendant commented. “I feel like there’s a lot of stuff being said [and] that some of it’s facts and some of it’s not.”

At the conclusion of 6th period, students began to congregate by the Art Gallery to pick up handmade posters they had created at home due to administration sending an email the previous night stating that carrying signs around school was not permitted. 

Participants were then directed to migrate to the school’s auditorium, where students’ school identification numbers were recorded for administrative attendance purposes. 

“As a result of [the threats], communicating with the school district and the police department, there are concerns about going outside today,” Garstka said. “Your event will be allowed to take place right here in this auditorium.”

NHS Principal Stephen Garstka confirmed that the student-led protest was not supported by the district. 

“This is not a normal school activity,” Garstka explained. “It is not something that is approved by the school.”

Despite the administration’s stance, many students saw the event in a much different light. While the administration emphasized policy and procedures, one student made the argument that gathering represented something much larger than just missing a class period.  

“Any movement doesn’t start with some giant, massive rally,” senior Abdul Rakhimov said. “It starts with little things, like Civil Rights. [Sit]ins weren’t big movements at first, but they grew to be what they are. So this just shows awareness of the issue.”

Garstka then went on to warn the students about the “stipulations” of the event and that everyone in attendance will be “marked unexcused late.” 

Subsequently, the shooting threats on social media that were made against the participating students were later determined to be unfounded.

“[The threat] was a rumor that we couldn’t substantiate,” Middletown Township Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla commented.

            Even after the threat was dismissed as merely rumors, Garstka ensured that safety was at the top of his priority list. 

“As a result of [the threat], communicating with the school district and the police department, there are concerns about going outside today,” Garstka said. “Your event will be allowed to take place right here in this auditorium. You will not be going outside out of an abundance of caution.”

Following his announcement, students erupted into a verbal uproar against the principal, expressing that staying inside limited their ability to get their message out to the public. 

“I just think that it’s very important for us to stick up here, to ask people to post on social media what’s happening here, because we can’t go outside to show those who can’t see what’s going on in here,” sophomore Kamielle Smith expressed. 

         Garstka continued elaborating on the situation, explaining that students were not allowed to leave the building, causing students to express verbal frustration.  

“There is no one outside the building to hear the message anyway,” the principal voiced.