The Sun News
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A group of Spring Valley High School students staged a peaceful walkout Friday morning in support of former Richland County deputy Ben Fields who was fired after a video surfaced of Fields forcibly removing a student from a classroom.
Spring Valley Principal Jeff Temoney said that the protest was “an orderly student-led activity.”
“Our students and our staff were safe and are on campus,” Temoney said.
Temoney said at around 10 a.m. about 100 students gathered in the school’s atrium to express opinions about Fields’ firing in relation to the video.
“I addressed the students to let them know that we understood their need to make their voices heard,” Temoney said. “Then I reminded them that Spring Valley high is all about the business of teaching and learning, so it’s time to go back to class.”
Students then returned to class in an orderly fashion less than 10 minutes after the protest began, Temoney said.
Several videos of the walk out surfaced on Twitter shortly following the protest using “#bringbackfields” and “#bringfieldsback.”
Black and white students rally to support fired student resource officer at Spring Valley HS #BringBackFields pic.twitter.com/cIuv6p3PH3
— Sunny (@Sunnygirl9) October 30, 2015
Liberals will make up all types of stories, but the truth will eventually come out. #BringBackFields #ThinBlueLine pic.twitter.com/IbbWapFAPs
— Jack Cavanaugh (@Cavanaugh74) October 30, 2015
— Cassibry (@JCass_12) October 30, 2015
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