The Lake County School Board has confirmed that disciplinary action will be taken following a student walkout at Leesburg High School earlier this week, addressing widespread concern and debate sparked by the protest.

In a public statement released Thursday, district officials said a group of students left campus during instructional time to participate in a protest against federal immigration practices. According to the district, students were directed not to leave campus, but a group of students ignored that directive.

On Wednesday morning, a group of kids gathered in front of the high school cafeteria to protest ICE. This was a student-led gathering that is believed to have been sparked by a social media post accusing ICE of raiding a nearby convenient store. It was later confirmed that ICE was not present at the raid. Nevertheless, the plans for the protest continued.

At 9:15am, the students walked toward the football field parking lot and were told by law enforcement and school administration to return to class. A group of approximately 50 kids  jumped and crawled under a locked fence and proceeded down Sumter Street, reportedly wreaking havoc by blaring music and yelling expletives at people driving by. As of Thursday morning, all but six have been identified.

The walkout drew significant attention across the community, with parents, students and residents expressing sharply divided views online regarding free speech, school discipline and student safety.

Lake County Schools acknowledged that students retain First Amendment rights, including the right to express views on matters of public concern, and noted that civic engagement can play an important role in education.

“We believe civic engagement can be an important part of learning, and we encourage students to participate in respectful dialogue and other age-appropriate, lawful forms of expression,” the statement reads.

However, district officials emphasized that student safety, supervision and protecting instructional time remain top priorities during the school day. Leaving campus without authorization and refusing directives to return, the district said, created safety and supervision concerns and disrupted school operations.

“Leaving campus without authorization and refusing directives to return to class creates serious safety and supervision concerns and causes disruption of school operations,” the statement said.

The district confirmed that students who violated district policy are facing consequences under the Code of Student Conduct. Students involved face up to a 10-day suspension.

Because student discipline records are confidential under state law, the district said it could not discuss individual students or specific consequences related to participation in the walkout.

“However, we will continue to respond consistently and fairly under our Code of Student Conduct,” the statement said, adding that families and students are encouraged to work with school administrators to address concerns through established channels.