Students at Quakertown School District were reportedly arrested. Thirty-five students stormed out of school to protest ICE despite the walkout being canceled. The school was then placed in a lockdown. Law enforcement officials report that the students engaged in “unsafe and disruptive behavior in town.”
It was originally school-sponsored but was cancelled. However, some students decided it would go ahead anyway. That shouldn’t shock anyone.
A video shows students being detained by police. The youth were indoctrinated with radical anti-ICE propaganda. The narrator says, “This is why we pay taxes, f’ing cops to beat on children.” The narrator is missing the point. They were involved in unsafe and disruptive behavior. That is not a protest. These children are learning to misbehave, disrespect authority, and rebel against law enforcement who are trying to capture people here illegally.
Where are the parents on this? Do they think it’s okay to teach disrespect for law enforcement and the people in the town? If you teach disrespect for some in authority, you have already taught disrespect for all.
The Back Story
The principal planned the protest
A House Principal, Jason Magditch, had canceled a protest planned by the principal, Mattias van ‘t Hoenderdaal, who had worked on the planning with the students. However, the cancellation came too late. The message that it was okay was sent.
The Principal Collaborated with the Students
On February 17th, the principal of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, High School “collaborated” with the students on anti-ICE protests.
Mattias van ’t Hoenderdaal, the principal at Quakertown Community High School, emailed families Tuesday, Feb. 17, regarding an upcoming student-led walkout. Although some schools have distanced themselves from walkouts, van ’t Hoenderdaal made it clear that the administration had spoken with student leaders to “establish clear boundaries.”
Van ’t Hoenderdaal requested that parents and community members stay away from campus during the walkout, which would have included enhanced security. Additionally, the administration and security personnel would have ensured that students avoid high-traffic areas.
“Quakerstown Community High School supports safe student expression while prioritizing campus security,” van ’t Hoenderdaal said.
“It used to be a student would get sent to the principal’s office if they skipped school,” one X user argued. “Now, the principal writes them a free pass to do so. Something has gone terribly wrong.”
Another wrote, “This is reprehensible. If you permit students not to respect [law enforcement], then why would they respect teachers?”
What is up with all these school sponsored anti ICE protests? What on earth does that have to do with reading, writing and arithmetic? How are those test scores folks? https://t.co/saN6WDy844
— 🇺🇸 Rocco S. DeMaiolo 🇺🇸 (@tprroc) February 20, 2026
The letter from the Acting Superintendent who was awaiting word from the police.
Keep encouraging these delinquents. That will go over real well.
Yes, I am quite certain that this ‘school’ supports “safe student expression”, but would this principal still support such expression if students were showing their support for President Trump?