Denver-area students walk out in protest

Associated Press

ARVADA, Colo.

Hundreds of students walked out of classrooms around suburban Denver on Tuesday in protest over a conservative-led school- board proposal to focus history education on topics that promote citizenship, patriotism and respect for authority, in a show of civil disobedience that the new standards would aim to downplay.

The youth protest in the state’s second-largest school district follows a sick-out from teachers that shut down two high schools in the politically and economically diverse area that has become a key political battleground.

Student participants said their demonstration was organized by word of mouth and social media. Many waved American flags and carried signs, including messages that read “There is nothing more patriotic than protest.”

“I don’t think my education should be censored,” said Tori Leu, a 17-year-old student who protested at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada.