Southern Wayne students stage walkout to protest teacher’s suspension

More than 150 Southern Wayne High School students staged a walkout Thursday in support of a teacher suspended after an incident at a Feb. 16 Southern Wayne basketball game.

SWHS science teacher Anthony Williams was charged with having a weapon on school property (a knife), according to the “public report” provided by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Thursday.

No other charges were listed on the report and no narrative or details regarding the incident were provided.

A Sheriff’s Office representative said full reports are not generally released to the media or to the public.

A call to Sheriff Larry Pierce to discuss the circumstances around the incident was not returned.

Witnesses claim Williams had a pocketknife and that a forceful confrontation initiated by a school resource officer occurred when he was asked to surrender it.

The student protest centered on how the school resource officer handled the incident and Williams’ suspension.

Wayne County Public Schools spokesman Ken Derksen said Williams is currently suspended with pay, pending resolution of the case, per board policy.

The students gathered and left the building during class change at 11:15 a.m. and made their way to the school’s flagpole, where they were led by a student in the Southern Wayne High spirit chant — “Saint Pride.”

Many students had their cell phones out and were recording the gathering. A staff member, who Derksen said was “caught up with the expression of school unity and spirit,” was also recording on his cell phone.

There were no confrontations or speeches, and the students, who were accompanied by several teachers, returned to their classes after the event, which lasted about 10 minutes.

Principal Kevin Smith was outside with the students. He did not speak.

A request for an interview with Smith about the students’ concerns and his interaction with them was not granted.

Derksen spoke for the district and the school.

School officials worked with the students to allow the protest, provided it was done in a “safe and orderly manner,” Derksen said.

“We found that the students who chose to participate in the walkout did so respectfully and returned to class without issue,” he said.

The spokesman did not directly respond to a question about whether staff members had expressed concern about the Williams incident, saying only that they accompanied the students to keep the gathering orderly.