Students leave Turpin High School and Anderson High School in Ohio after Diversity Day was canceled – again!

Hundreds of Ohio students stormed out of school on Wednesday, protesting white school board members who decided to cancel Diversity Day — for the second year in a row.

“Do it better, Forest Hills!” Students at Turpin High School chanted during the strike while holding “Pro-Diversity” signs and wearing matching T-shirts that read “Protect Diversity Day.”

Diversity Day was originally scheduled to take place in March at Turpin High School but was pushed back to May and eventually canceled by the Forest Hills School Board for the remainder of the year. Students at Anderson High School, another member of the Forest Hills District, showed solidarity with Turpin during the protest on Wednesday.

“It is greater than black and white”, a Turpin High School football player wrote on Twitter. “DIVERSITY COUNTS.”

“Show support for all the incredible student leaders who exercised their right to protest the twice canceled Diversity Day [at] Turpin Gymnasium”, a Parents of Turpin High School wrote. “[Forest Hills School District]you can do better than that.”

Natalie Hastings, a student in Turpin who helped organize a previous protest in aid of Diversity Day, told The Daily Beast that more than 350 students attended at her school.

“This morning was amazing!” she said.

According to this, over a hundred students demonstrated in Anderson The Cincinnati investigator.

“It was very important that we also showed our support and showed our solidarity with Turpin,” said one student The questioner. “It’s not just their school board; it is we too who are making these very terrible decisions. …It’s not just them. We work together.”

Ahead of Wednesday’s mass strike, Turpin High School principal David Spencer released a statement to the school community alerting them to the students’ plans.

“I am writing to inform you that there will be a possible off-campus demonstration organized by students during school hours on Wednesday,” the principal wrote in an email verified by The Daily Beast. “I recognize and respect the constitutionally guaranteed right of students to peacefully assemble and express ideas and opinions. … Students “do not surrender their constitutional rights to free speech or opinion at the schoolhouse gate.”

He continued, “Providing a safe learning environment for every student is my priority at all times. I will continue this commitment to maintaining a high level of safety for students on campus.”

Diversity Day has been celebrated annually in the Forest Hills School District – just outside of Cincinnati – since 2017. On May 6, board members held a meeting where five people voted against holding the celebration this year. They claimed that the cancellation was because the event was held during school hours and taxpayer money was being used. However, board member Sara Jonas equated the drills conducted during the event with critical race theory.

dr Leslie Rasmussen, a Latina and the only board member who advocated continuing Diversity Day, abstained. She felt that the other board members were making excuses as to why they were not happy with the event.

“They all lied about the reason for the disruption to Diversity Day,” Rasmussen accused the board of directors. “There’s no way I would touch Diversity Day.”

Students told The Daily Beast that they plan to hold their own private Diversity Day event. They also plan to hold a rally outside of the Forest Hills School District board meeting on Wednesday night.