Barstow Unified: Off‑campus student walkouts will be marked unexcused, district cites California law

Barstow Unified says it supports students’ constitutional right to free expression but will mark students who leave campus for walkouts as unexcused absences, the district’s guidance explained.

Presenter outlined the district’s approach, saying the line is drawn by location and disruption: "On the one hand, you have expression that's totally supported as long as it's peaceful, respectful and doesn't interrupt class. But on the other hand, leaving campus for a walkout, that's not condoned." The presenter emphasized that leaving campus triggers an unexcused absence under district rules.

The district ties that attendance decision to state law. The presenter summarized the relevant limitation in the California education code and noted it "allows for just one excused absence per school year for a student to participate in a specific kind of event," such as voting or working at polling places, and that demonstrations or walkouts are not listed among those excused civic events. "A walkout or a protest is simply not on that list of valid reasons in the education code," the presenter said.

Safety and supervision were offered as an additional, separate rationale. The presenter said school‑sanctioned events are organized and staffed by the district, while walkouts are not: "Once students are off school grounds, they're no longer under the school's watch," and "no school staff will be there to supervise. No teachers, no administrators, no security." The guidance framed the property line as the point where the district's practical ability to safeguard students ends.

The district recommended families discuss the trade‑offs at home, weighing the value of in‑class learning, the opportunity to express views, and the risks of being unsupervised off campus. The presenter said the district’s policy aims to "create a framework for that expression" while maintaining safety and attendance standards.

The guidance does not announce any new disciplinary measures beyond marking an off‑campus walkout as an unexcused absence, nor does the presenter identify any exceptions to the one‑excused‑absence rule tied to specific civic activities listed in state law. The district’s explanation cited the California education code and emphasized supervision limits as the basis for its approach.

The district’s guidance places the onus on families to determine participation in off‑campus demonstrations knowing the attendance and supervision consequences; no formal vote or board action is recorded in this transcript.