Barrington High School Students Walk Off Campus Protesting Budget Cuts, Other Political Issues

Around 9:00a.m. on March 31, about 100 Barrington High School students gathered  to stage a protest over the more than $2 million cuts recently made to the school district budget.  

“I am definitely against the budget cuts but I was unsure if a protest was worth skipping class for so after second hour I went to the staircase to see the turnout and it was huge,” said Kelsey Kober, Barrington High School junior.

Kober said teachers told students if they didn’t go back to class they would get an unexcused absence, which would result in a detention.

“At this point I decided to go to third hour because we were reviewing for a math quiz and I needed some extra help,” said Kober.

The group shrunk to approximately 50 students who then headed outside; the focus then shifted to include legalization of marijuana, recent labor issues in Wisconsin and U.S. military involvement, according to Steve McWilliams, principal.

The remaining students marched east on Main Street toward the downtown area.

“At the Union Pacific Railroad crossing on Highway 59 just north of Main Street, one student made the unfortunate decision to sit on the roadway,” said McWilliams.

Since Barrington High School is a closed campus, students are barred from leaving the school’s campus unless they are with a parent or have parent permission, said McWilliams.

The student, whose name is not being released, was arrested by Barrington Police for unlawful assembly, violating daytime curfew and for resisting arrest.

After the arrest was made, the remaining group of students walked back to the high school campus and arrived just after 10:00a.m.

Students willingly gave administrators their names and McWilliams said they will now be subject to disciplinary measures for leaving campus without permission.

McWilliams said there were no other incidents and classes continued normally for the remainder of the school day.