From Times Dispatch article:
A group of students from Open High School is planning to lead a march on City Hall on Monday to protest the physical condition of school facilities in the city of Richmond.
The students plan to walk out of class at 8:30 a.m. and begin the mile-plus march from Oregon Hill toward downtown. They should reach City Hall by 9 a.m. and plan to hold a peaceful demonstration.“It’s a way for the public to see the faces of students of Richmond Public Schools,” said Isabella Arias, a senior at Open.
She said the idea came up early this month after media reports of several particularly decrepit school buildings.
In a Facebook event called “RPS Walkout,” Arias and other organizers cited several specific problems, including roof failures at Fairfield Court Elementary and Thompson Middle schools and rodent problems at Carver Elementary and Armstrong High schools.
“When we read that, we were really horrified at how terrible the conditions are,” she said.
“These conditions continue to worsen as time passes and are simply disregarded by school officials, City Hall, the mayor and many others,” the organizers say on Facebook.
“Funds could be allocated to repair our dilapidated schools (as was done for the Redskins training camp) if those in charge saw it as a priority. Instead however, the officials of Richmond brush off the needs of RPS students.
“We are not their priority. They fail to see the value in our education or even our general well-being. They must be reminded of our numbers so that they may see our value.”