SOPHIA, WV (LOOTPRESS) – An array of Independence High students attracted attention Thursday when an apparent student walkout was staged in protest of an administrative decision regarding a fellow student.
The scene at Independence High School late Thursday morning saw multiple students gathered outside the facility near the main entrance in protest of disciplinary action purportedly administered pertaining to Nathan Rhodes.
Rhodes, a junior at the school, has been engaged in an ongoing battle with cancer, and classmates organized the early classroom departure to protest what some are regarding as unnecessary disciplinary consequences.
Students involved have stated that the protest stems from the expulsion of Rhodes earlier in the school year following the alleged discovery of a THC vape pen in his possession. The device is said to have been utilized by Rhodes as a means of combating nausea and loss of appetite related to his medical issues.
Law enforcement was on site for the event, as patrol vehicles bearing the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office insignia could be observed near the entrance of the building upon the students’ exit.
A line of protesting students appeared to file from the facility without incident to occasional whoops and cheers from unnamed individuals on the scene who were apparently privy to the proceedings at hand.
Some participants have advised that the protest is planned to continue until such a time as Rhodes is permitted to return to the school, and sources have indicated that participants plan to engage in a similar act of protest during the regular school day on Friday.
LOOTPRESS will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.
