BREAKING STORY: State Senate endorses immigrant protest, read more

SAN JOSE, Calif.—California’s top education official on Thursday urged students to stay in school on May 1 during nationwide protests over proposed federal immigration reforms.

State Superintendent for Public Instruction Jack O’Connell encouraged students interested in the immigration issue to voice their opinions by participating in protest activities _ but only after attending their classes.

“If students need to protest, they should feel free to do so after school,” O’Connell told students and reporters at San Jose High Academy. “We want students to exercise free speech, but not at the expense of their education.”

Immigrant rights advocates are calling for a nationwide boycott of work, school and business on Monday to demonstrate the contributions immigrants make to the U.S. economy.

O’Connell urged schools, which receive state funding based on attendance, to take action to make sure students don’t skip classes. He said the state would not grant waivers to schools that lose funding if students were absent while out protesting.

O’Connell said the May 1 demonstrations offered teachers an opportunity to discuss immigration in class. “The debate can engage students on many aspects of immigration policy,” he said.

Rallies have been scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Gardena, Bell, Santa Ana, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Concord and other cities.

Students attending the San Jose news conference appeared receptive to O’Connell’s message.

“We believe this immigration law is wrong, and we should voice our opinion,” said Amy Bellido, a 17-year-old junior at San Jose High Academy. “We as students believe we should stay in school. Students who want to participate should organize meetings and participate after school.”

School officials in San Leandro, meanwhile, said Thursday that rising tensions over the immigration issue may have contributed to a series of brawls between Hispanic and black teenagers.

Over a dozen San Leandro High School students were taken into custody Wednesday following the fights that started on campus and spilled over into the parking lot of a nearby convenience store.

While educators theorized that the stress children of immigrants are under while the immigration debate roils may have played a role in the violence, students told television station KTVU that racial tensions have predated recent developments.