Washington father confronts school board after middle-school ICE protest walkout

A Washington state father is threatening legal action against the Highline School District after discovering his 14-year-old son had left campus to participate in a political protest without parental notification, reigniting a national debate over student activism, school authority, and parental rights.

The controversy began on February 2, when hundreds of students across the Highline School District—serving communities south of Seattle—walked out of class to protest enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to local reporting, the walkout included students from multiple campuses and was openly supported by some parents and activists.

But for Vance Glawe, the protest was anything but consensual.

“My child was not at school”

Glawe told the Highline School Board during a public meeting that he learned of the walkout only after receiving a phone call from his son—who was standing in White Center, several miles from campus, in the middle of a demonstration.

“My child was not sick. He was not at school. He was in the middle of a protest that was organized for his middle school,” Glawe said during his two-minute address, video of which quickly circulated online after being shared by Libs of TikTok.

Dressed in a suit and reading directly from Washington statutes, Glawe accused district officials of violating state law by allowing minors to leave campus without informing parents.

Legal claims center on parental notice

At the heart of Glawe’s argument are two legal provisions: Washington’s compulsory attendance statute (RCW 28A.600.035) and Initiative 2081, passed by voters in 2024, which codified a “Parental Bill of Rights.”

Initiative 2081 explicitly affirms parents’ right to be informed of their child’s whereabouts during the school day and to receive notice of activities involving health, safety, or off-campus participation. Glawe argues that allowing students to leave school grounds for a politically charged protest—without advance notice—violated both the letter and spirit of the law.

“That was taken from me,” Glawe told the board. “I was not given notice. I was not given an email. I was not given a call. You exposed him to real danger.”

School notification came after the fact

In follow-up posts on Instagram and other platforms, Glawe said parents were notified of the walkout only after it had already occurred. He identified Emily Feldtmose, principal of Cascade Middle School, as having sent communication post-event rather than beforehand.

As of publication, Feldtmose and the Highline School District had not issued a public response addressing whether administrators approved or merely tolerated the walkout, nor whether staff accompanied students off campus.

Online backlash and safety concerns

Following the viral spread of his remarks, Glawe said his family became the target of harassment and threats. He launched a fundraiser on GiveSendGo to cover legal expenses and relocation costs, claiming his son could no longer safely attend school.

“I cannot bring my son back to school,” Glawe wrote in an update. “Kids are threatening to jump my son because of my video.”

The school district has not publicly addressed the reported threats or whether any disciplinary or safety measures were implemented in response.

A broader national fault line

The Highline dispute reflects a growing national tension over the role of public schools in political activism. In recent years, walkouts tied to immigration, climate policy, gun control, and gender issues have become more common—often blurring the line between civic engagement and institutional endorsement.

Supporters argue such protests are protected speech and a form of democratic participation. Critics counter that schools have a legal duty to prioritize student safety and parental authority over political messaging, especially when minors leave supervised environments.

With Washington voters having recently strengthened parental-rights statutes, legal observers say the case could become an early test of how far those protections extend when student activism collides with school policy.

For Glawe, the issue is not immigration policy itself—but who gets to decide where a child goes during the school day.

“This isn’t about politics,” he told the board. “This is about my right to know where my child is—and your obligation to keep him safe.”