Idaho students skipped class Tuesday to protect a Black Lives Matter drawing after rumors circulated that the superintendent intended to blast it off the concrete with a power washer.
Approximately 100 Mountain Home High students gathered in a silent protest during class hours, reports KTVB. The protest started in the morning and lasted until the afternoon.
The spat originates with the school’s students and administrators planning a homecoming fundraiser that allowed painting decoration of parking spaces for $45 a space.
The only problem? The school’s principal failed to clear painting school property with the district office.
The superintendent later released a statement to say he supported the students’ right to protest. The issue, he said, is not over the content, but about students not being allowed to paint the parking lots in general.
“This is the type of project that must be approved at the district level. Had this request come through the proper channels it would have been denied. The district does not allow students to paint parking lots with murals, just as we wouldn’t allow students to paint lockers or desks,” the statement read.
UPDATE: Students protesting Black Lives Matter parking spot at Mountain Home High School: https://t.co/8ap4TFlEDx pic.twitter.com/pp5zL5ZdHL
— KBOI 2News (@KBOITV) September 20, 2016
One student painted a woman’s face, and underneath it “#BlackLivesMatter.”
The students claim the protest is meant to show solidarity with the drawing and its symbolism. One woman came by to deliver supplies for the students, claiming that they had the support of the community.
“A lot of the community is actually supporting them, they just can’t be here at the time,” Natasha Pomerlee said.
During the student’s silent protest, a group living near the school came by to stage a counter- protest. The group carried Confederate flags and said they had a message that “All Lives Matter.”
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