Fresno high school students walk out of campuses in second day of protests
More than 1,000 Fresno high-school students walked out of their campuses on Monday to protest ICE and President Trump’s deportation crackdown.
Students walked out of Hoover High School, located at Barstow Avenue and First Street, about 9:30 a.m. Monday and marched toward Fresno Fashion Fair, according to the Fresno Unified School District.
During lunch break, a group of about 50 students at Washington Union High School, south of Fresno, walked out of campus in a separate protest. They walked downtown, according to the Fresno Police.
The protests are a continuation of the “national shutdown” general strike last Friday to oppose the mass deportations and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Last Friday, several hundred students from Fresno High School and Sunnyside High School walked out of their campuses last Friday after the lunch break to join the national anti-ICE protest. They marched several miles to the school district’s headquarters in downtown Fresno.
Hoover High students notified school administrators of Monday’s walkout ahead of time, according to a Fresno Unified spokesperson.
A state law, Senate Bill 955, permits middle and high school students one day-long excused absence per school year to participate in a civic or political event, including protests, strikes, and rallies. It’s unclear how much the student walkouts and absences will cost the district in state funding, which is calculated based on students’ average daily attendance.
By 1 p.m. Monday, most students had ended the march and returned to school, according to Adela Duncan, chief communications officer of Fresno Unified. Most students also signed in at the school in the morning before walking out, she said.
In a message to parents, Fresno Unified urged parents to talk with their kids to help them understand the physical risks of protesting on the streets and encouraged students to express themselves safely.
Washington Union High School did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 3:02 PM.
