Paso Robles schools need to focus on learning, not encouraging dissent

March 5, 2026

OPINION by KENNEY ENNEY

Since joining the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board, I have lamented the fact that we no longer instill in our children a unifying collective pride in our country. I have lamented the fact that love of country; that thread of patriotism that has stitched together black Americans and white Americans; Christian Americans and Jewish Americans, Latino Americans and Anglo Americans into one people for generations is no longer taught in our schools.

Schools have been the frontline in the culture wars for several years now, but the recent “anti-ICE” student protests have taken those wars to a new low and should be of concern to us all.

In what some called displays of “civic engagement,” 700 students walked out of Paso Robles High School at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 6. Although the district had informed students of their rights and procedures for properly protesting, only 70 students followed the rules, and only 300 of the 700 students actually participated in the protest, meaning the remaining 400 just left school.

On Feb. 23, 150 7th and 8th graders at Lewis Flamson Junior High informed staff that they were going to also stage a protest and leave campus. When the group was told that they could not leave campus and were offered an alternative means of protest on campus, roughly 100 students rushed the gates and doors and fled.

The high school protesters marched to Niblick bridge where they flew Mexican flags and held up signs saying “F*** Trump,” “F*** ICE,” and “F*** the Gestapo.”

Other signs had slogans like ”You don’t get to talk about what’s illegal when you voted for a felon,” and “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and “Colonizers don’t get to decide what is illegal.”

The most disturbing sign, however, was a sign that can only be interpreted as advocating violence against law enforcement. It pictured a pig in a police uniform with an X over the eye and a red slash across the body and said “YOU DON’T GET TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS “ILLEGAL” WHEN YOU VOTED FOR A FELON.”

Not to be outdone, two weeks later, the mob of “civic-minded” junior high students marched south on Spring Street to Niblick Rdoad, reportedly verbally and physically assaulting community members along the way, throwing water bottles and blocking traffic before proceeding to Walmart, where the employees were forced to lock their doors and call the police.

Progressives would have you believe that this was an “organic” protest by “civic-minded” students exercising their First Amendment rights. However, it is evident that these were part of well-organized nationwide protests.

In January and February, thousands of students in over 36 states participated in walk-outs/protests, with multiple reports of student injuries and arrests following altercations with counter-protesters and law enforcement. Texas and Florida attorneys general have launched investigations into dozens of schools to determine if public school employees coordinated or facilitated student participation in anti-ICE protests.

Here in California, Clovis police are looking for two adults accused of organizing a walkout involving more than 200 students and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell reminded parents that “it is unlawful for any minors under 18 to be in public places, streets, or amusement spots during school hours.” He warned “that any adult who transports or assists a minor in participating in illegal activity could face charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli vowed to “criminally prosecute” two teens suspected of attacking ICE agents in a student protest in February. Law enforcement sources state “teens have been encouraged by far-left activists to skip school and ‘take to the streets against ICE’ and are urging California kids to rise up and ‘rebel against’ federal agents.”

Law enforcement investigations into public school employee involvement likely stems from what the National Educators Association (NEA) published in their “Handbook 2025,” ratified at their July 2025 national convention.

At the convention they voted to adopt “New Business Item 63: NEA opposes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kidnapping of student leaders and supports student’s rights to organize against ICE raids and deportations.”

Other “New Business” items adopted included Item 60- “NEA pledges to defend democracy against Trump’s embrace of fascism by using the term [facism] (NEA Spelling error) in NEA materials to correctly characterize Donald Trump’s program and actions.”

Paso Robles Public Educators are an affiliate of the NEA and local members pay $219 in annual dues.

Following the Feb. Paso Robles High School protest, I was contacted by several parents who said that their child was encouraged to walk out and protest by faculty members. There were reports that teachers took time away from teaching to help students make protest signs, using taxpayer funded materials to do so.  According to some accounts from sources within the high school, as much as half of the faculty at the school supported the protest and supposedly at least one high school employee took the day off to help coordinate the protest.

Following 23 Feb. 23 Lewis Flamson walkout/protest, I was informed that a group of students that showed support for law enforcement and ICE were attacked by the anti-ICE protesters. School employees who broke up the fight supposedly told the pro-law enforcement students that they brought the attack on themselves.

The rhetoric out of the NEA can be categorized as nothing less than dangerous. After the first assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in July 2024, one would have thought that the national teacher unions would be responsible and strike a more conciliatory tone, but they doubled down with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President, Randy Weingarten, warning of “fascism and violence” if Trump were re-elected.

The sad fact of the matter is that because of the radical message out of the NEA and AFT, our public schools are crossing the line from teaching passive disdain for the American way of life to active disrespect and defiance of the system, which is increasingly leading towards violence.

Following the Feb. 6 protest, I offered publicly and privately to the high school protesters to help organize a “teach-in” or debate to discuss the actual federal law that authorizes ICE operations only to be told to “keep my opinions to myself.” In my conversations with one of the organizers, it was evident that he had no concept of the “rule of law.”

He had no idea that the legislative branch (Congress) makes the law and that the executive branch (President/ICE) enforce the law. Additionally, he had no knowledge of federal law regarding immigration enforcement.

Eight U.S. Code (U.S.C.) (Title 8: Aliens and Nationality)  § 1357 is the key section of that outlines the powers of immigration officers and employees. Immigration Naturalization Act § 287 grants federal immigration officers, primarily from agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) certain enforcement authorities, including warrantless actions in specified circumstances.

What should concern us all is the fact that a growing number of public educators appear to either be encouraging protests against ICE and the president out of ignorance of the law or for political purposes. In doing so they are complicit in the fearmongering that is traumatizing the very immigrant community that they profess to want to protect.

What I have asked the protest organizers and would ask the teachers and parents who supported these protests; is what did you hope to achieve?

What was the benefit of skipping class and verbally and physically assaulting your neighbors?

What benefit was achieved by holding up signs comparing President Trump and his supporters to Nazis?

What benefit was achieved by holding up signs advocating violence against law enforcement?

Teaching students to be disrespectful of others within the community because you disagree with their point of view or teaching students to be defiant of law enforcement because you don’t agree with what they do certainly won’t help your case and could potentially end with tragic consequences.

What responsible adults should be doing is encouraging students to take advantage of their education.

Instead of stoking fears of law enforcement and disdain for America, encourage students to celebrate our republic and learn to be good citizens. Teach students about American history and our government and laws.

Based on the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress report by the U.S. Department of Education, only 13% of high school students meet national standards in U.S. History and only 22% meet standards in U.S. civics. Only 33% of adult Americans can pass the citizenship test that is required for an immigrant to become an American.

Teach English.  On the 2025 CAASPP/ELPAC tests, 0% of 7th grade english learners (not reclassified) in Paso Robles district schools met standards in ELA and 0% met standards in math.  Zero percent of 8th grade English Learners (not reclassified) in our schools met standards in ELA and 0% met standards in math.  Zero percent of 11th grade English Learners (not reclassified) met standards in ELA and 3.64% met standards in math.

Our public schools need to focus on making Americans, regardless of immigration status, not encouraging dissent and defiance.