K‑12 Education and Student Protests

Prince William County Public Schools says 303 Woodbridge High School students have been suspended after a Feb. 13, 2026 student‑led walkout against Immigration and Customs Enforcement that spilled off campus in Woodbridge, Virginia and drew a traffic‑control response from county police. Principal Heather Abney told parents that while students have a right to express their views, those who left school grounds during instructional time violated conduct rules and faced discipline, even as she acknowledged the protest concerned an issue that is "important to them." In the wake of the suspensions, students created an Instagram account, @pwcs_iceout, to organize a much larger, county‑wide walkout for Friday, Feb. 20, urging participants to bring posters, flags and speakers but to avoid fighting or provoking conflicts and to keep the event peaceful. Organizers initially suggested that "all school administrations have been informed" so students would not "get in trouble," then clarified the action is not endorsed or approved by administrators, underscoring the tension between student protest plans and district policy. The episode highlights how anger over ICE tactics is now driving coordinated youth activism even in suburban Virginia and forcing school systems to navigate the line between protecting speech and enforcing attendance and safety rules as police are pulled into campus‑adjacent demonstrations.