Student Unrest?

I made a rare trip to south Minneapolis yesterday and when I drove by Washburn High School, I doublechecked my watch. It was after 1 p.m., but hundreds of students were walking around, many leaving the campus.

Today, in the Star Tribune, I read that the students were protesting the school district's investigation of their athletic director. I think those students must really like their athletic director.

When I was young, there was a very big student protest against the government of Thailand. All my classmates and I cut classes and took a six-hour bus ride to Bangkok for a big rally at a stadium. We had barely arrived at the stadium when the Army came in and announced that they were giving us five minutes to disperse or they'd release thousands of cobras into the stadium. Five minutes later we were all back on the bus heading back to Chanthaburi.

The Army officer who made up the cobra threat was promoted, the government was preserved and I moved to the United States as fast as I could. I do not know who will win this fight between Washburn students and the school district, but I do know that years from now each of those students will remember this walk out long after the school district has forgotten all about it.

I just wish I'd known what was going on. Probably not, but I like to think I might have parked my car and marched with the students for a while. At least until the cobras showed up.

--

Update!