UPDATE: SOPHIA, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Independence High School student Nathan Rhodes has reportedly been reinstated and will return to school.
According to Rhodes’ father, Nathan will be returning to school following days of extensive protest from the students of Independence High.
”He has been reinstated and can now have some sense of normalcy again,” he tells LOOTPRESS.
It is not yet clear at the time of writing when Rhodes will make his return to Independence as an active student.
LOOTPRESS will provide updates as new information becomes available.
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SOPHIA, WV (LOOTPRESS) – An emotional scene unfolded late Friday morning as students at Independence High School staged a second day of protest, walking out during the school day yet again to voice support for fellow student Nathan Rhodes.
Students initially filed out of the school on Thursday to bring attention to what many are saying is unfair disciplinary action taken by administrative staff against Rhodes, who has been engaged in an ongoing battle with cancer.
Ethan Hull, a sophomore at Independence High School, was one of several students to give their thoughts on the situation as events unfolded on Friday.
“Nathan has been battling cancer for about two or three years now,” Hull told LOOTPRESS, detailing the events which led to what is being called a mass exodus of students.
“He got caught with marijuana, but he has a marijuana card. It helps him with anxiety and gives him an appetite to eat. But he got expelled from school because of it. Now that he just found out he might only have a few weeks left to live, he wants to come back to school and just be a normal kid.”
Hull explained that, although the Board [of Education] purportedly agreed to allow Rhodes to return to school, the final decision was left to Independence High School Principal Hawkins who is said to have maintained that Rhodes be denied access to the property.
“The Board accepted it, but then they left it to Mrs. Hawkins and she said ‘no’ to it, essentially. So we’re just out here trying to get Nate back into school,” he continued. “I know several kids this year and last year that just got suspended then just came back to school [after being caught with marijuana.] But the only kid I know of that’s gotten expelled for it was Nathan.”
Another student stated that the hope is for protests to continue until such a time as Rhodes is permitted to return to school, telling LOOTPRESS,
“We’re hoping to do it pretty quickly. From what we’ve been informed, Nate only has limited time left. So we don’t see why he can’t come to school and spend the rest of his time here with all of us.”
As was the case on the first day of protests, a discernable law enforcement presence could be observed at the scene. Several uniformed members of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department remained on hand as a precaution given the highly emotional nature of the situation and the sheer number not only of protesting students, but of family members of students and other individuals who made their way to Sophia Friday to witness the events.
One such individual was Greg Wood, the concerned parent of a student, who spoke with LOOTPRESS just moments prior to Friday’s walkout.
“[My daughter] has never been in trouble, ever; and she says she’s walking out that door today. I am here to see her walk out that door, and when she does, I’m going in to talk to the principal to know why my kid has left the school. I’m going to hold her responsible, and [Raleigh County Superintendent of Schools] David Price responsible for my child going against my wishes and going against the school’s wishes.”
Wood went on to rebuke the decision not to allow Rhodes to return to school, criticizing school leadership and the role of staff in the events which led to the protests.
“What has happened is wrong,” he continued. “ It is plum evil to keep a kid out of school in his last days; to remove him from his friends is an evil thing to do.What kind of leadership do we have in this school? What is happening here is ridiculous, and I hold the principal responsible. The principal does not know how to lead these children.”
Students departed the facility as planned on Friday, making their way to the school parking lot through rain and wind to support their classmate. Many participants came equipped with signs bearing messages of support and the #WalkForNate tagline which has become associated with the situation.
Dozens of students could be heard engaging in chants such as “bring Nate back” and “fight for Nate,” while fewer could be heard shouting remarks directly intended for school administration. Vehicles could also be observed passing the crowd to yelps and cheers while sounding their horns and revving their engines.
After a brief while, the students began to move away from the school itself, descending the nearby hillside and lining the highway. Here, protestors continued to hoist signs and proclaim their support for Rhodes through chants and cheers as passing motorists lent their voices by sounding the horns of their vehicles.
Here, LOOTPRESS spoke with Emily, the sibling of a student at Independence High, who advised of disciplinary action purportedly being levied against students who are absent from class as a result of participation in the ongoing protests.
“My little sister goes to school here, she’s in 9th grade, and she’s best friends with Nate. She’s never been in trouble, and they’re threatening DRFs [Disciplinary Referral Forms] for every class that she misses,” she said.
“This is wrong on every level to me. This kid, he’s an amazing child, he needs to come to school and spend time with his friends with however much time he has left.”
Administrative staff and authorities close to the situation have yet to respond to requests for comment from LOOTPRESS.
