These high school demonstrations come in response to the efforts of college students urging their institutions to divest from companies with direct financial ties to Israel. Students are also calling for the US government to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the ongoing Israeli incursion has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Over the past few weeks, student encampments have cropped up on campuses across the country, many of which were swiftly shut down by university authorities and police.
Yet much of this student activism dates back to the fall, as Israel retaliated against Gaza for the October 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. In November, young people from New York City public schools met in Midtown and marched through Times Square alongside teachers for a daylong event. In January, Chicago public high schoolers convened at city hall with “Students for Palestine”…