Skyview student Melanie Gabriel is seeking a 504 Plan to attend the high school and her supporters have staged protests in recent days
On Tuesday (Sept. 7), Clark County Superior Court Judge Suzan Clark granted an injunction prohibiting disruptive protests near school campuses. The injunction requires that “protests, rallies, gatherings on or near school premises that disrupt educational services, immediately cease and desist and not be allowed to convene on or within a one-mile radius of any Vancouver School District building or grounds.” The injunction is effective as long as state-issued mask mandates are in effect.
“Our district understands and supports free speech and the right for people to be involved in peaceful protests,” said Superintendent Jeff Snell. “However, our first priority is to ensure student and staff safety and an educational environment free of disruption. This responsibility prompted us to present our concerns to the court.”
The injunction comes after community groups protested outside of Skyview High School about the state mask mandate for schools on Sept. 2 and 3. Protests also were scheduled for Sept. 7, 8 and 9.
On Fri., Sept. 3, Skyview went into lockdown when protesters left the public sidewalk and came onto the campus. As a precaution, the Skyview incident triggered lockdowns at neighboring Alki Middle School and Chinook Elementary School.
To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Washington state has mandated that all students and staff members wear masks or other appropriate facial coverings in schools and on school buses. This state requirement was a legally binding decision by the governor and cannot be overturned by local districts.
Skyview student seeking 504 plan
The recent protests at Skyview High School have been in support of student Melanie Gabriel, who is seeking a 504 Plan with the Vancouver School District that will allow her to attend Skyview without wearing a mask.
Gabriel, who turned 14 on Wednesday (Sept. 8), announced on her Facebook page that she and her representatives had a meeting Wednesday with district officials in an attempt to establish a 504 Plan, which is described as a blueprint or plan for how the school will provide support and remove barriers for a student with a disability.
“I’m on the right side of history and I will continue to pray for those who are not,’’ Gabriel stated in a post Wednesday morning before her meeting.
In a separate post Tuesday, Gabriel wrote: “I need the sidewalks at Skyview High School packed with people tomorrow. I am walking through fire right now and I’m facing horrible mistreatment because I know in the end it will pay off. In the end I will be heard and a statement will be made and I will gain back rights for everyone!! I cannot do this on my own. I need an army behind me and standing with me!! If you can’t come, invite someone that you think might be able to make it. I need everyone to remain calm the entire time you are there and refrain from engaging with students. I need your signs to have specific messages not related to masks. This is so far beyond the mask now!!’’
In another Facebook post, apparently after her meeting with district officials Wednesday, Gabriel thanked a supporter by writing, “I will never forget this, and someday I will tell my children about the pandemic and how all our parents and grandparents sat back and watched all of their rights be stripped from them one by one and did nothing, they were compliant! It will be the children who take our country back, I have lost faith in most adults!! My meeting went really today. I’m don’t want to jinx myself so I’m going to wait until I have it all in writing, reviewed and signed!!’’
Gabriel recently shared a letter to the editor that was published by Clark County Today. She urged voters to not support “union-backed candidates’’ for Vancouver School Board positions.
Some Information in this report was provided by the Vancouver School District.
So some partisan hack Judge wants to shut down citizen protest.
Typical.
I’m sure we’d not find this Judge Suzan Clark getting in the way of any leftist protests.
Very situational decisions. She should be patently ignored with her illegal dictates.
Who wrote this article?
this needs to be known! These statements by Melanie weren’t public and she’s a minor!
Yeah how can a School District tell you what you can do or not do on your own property or maybe around the corner on a public/county Sidewalk, they have no right to do so.
The only abuse that has happened is by the admin & their supporters. The admin lockdown 3 schools to frightened children & rile up parents. PB’s escorted her to the security team no where near the building. They use children as pawns for their decided collective good. Plus the only violence has come from those that support the school when I got assaulted & robbed today by a “counter protester”
You have a group of career protesters,“Patriot Prayer”, that don’t have any kids attending the schools. The lockdown was triggered by these adults trying to enter the High School. Same group that harassed students, buses full of kids, and students at Ridgefield High School last May! Leave the kids alone! You thought remote schooling was hurting our kids’ education? You people need to get a life!
May I repost your images to a current article that Melanie wrote herself?
So does she have a real disability, or is this just a case of the “I don’t want to”s?
Sounds like more of the latter…in which case either go along with it and quit disrupting school for everyone else, or go into home school and quit acting like a spoiled brat.
Spoiled brat? For not wanting to forcibly wear a face harness that has been proven to not matter among school aged children. Ya the pretentious attitudes of children wanting to breath normally .What about last year during the height of lockdowns you had kids mobilized by teacher rallying at every corner for BLM. One black criminal gets shot and the state coordinates a battle cry . But When children arrive to conclusions independent and contrary to what CNN is saying. They are effectively muzzled once again.
This article isn’t about a student protest. It’s about the gross overreach of VPS. Do they honestly think they have jurisdiction to prohibit First Amendment Rights within a one mile radius of every public school building in Vancouver? If so cancel every Black Lives Matter rally, every Pride Month event, every Indigenous Peoples protest (Columbus Day) and every political event on either side. And, you, home owner or business owner, are no longer allowed to exercise free speech and freedom of assembly in your own house, yard or business. Welcome to Communism.
They do have a right to keep kids from people interfering with their safety and right to education! BLM and and Pride marches aren’t happening outside of schools. You are so racist. Why don’t you move to Texas or Florida and let Darwinism do it’s job.
How does a judge band protests on the property surrounding the school. I get an injunction preventing them from entering school grounds. Last year we couldn’t stop riots from happening because of free speech but this year we can stop peaceful protests?
No metion of this brave student in the news.
Also, whenever someone says I belive in free speech, but follomws with a however, they do not believe in free speech.