February 22, 2026, 6PM
To the Parents and Guardians of Students in the Quakertown Community School District,
Thank you for your patience, as we have been working through the weekend to prepare for the start of school this week, following what has been a challenging time for our school community. In this note, we want to share some additional information surrounding the student walk-out on Friday, as well as what we have been doing to provide a safe and supportive environment when school reopens.
We know that events surrounding Friday's walkout have been unexpected and stressful for many of our students, staff, parents, and community members. We are sensitive to the impact it has had and the stress many are feeling. The media coverage and some information circulating on social media have made this even more challenging. Here are a few important points for context:
Quakertown followed the same format used by most regional school districts in the days leading up to the walk-out. Administrators met with student organizers on February 13 and February 18 to review their plans and to discuss alternative ways to demonstrate their right to free speech that wouldn't disrupt the school day. To be clear, like nearly every school district across the region, it is our practice not to endorse or facilitate a student walk-out during the school day for any reason. However, we also know it is our responsibility and duty to provide reasonable safety and security support for students and staff members who enter and exit our schools.
When students said they were planning to hold a walk-out that extended off school property (something the district, as a public school system, has no legal authority to stop them from doing), the administration and student organizers discussed and agreed to a route that would confine the walk-out to an area in front of the high school to make it more manageable for safety and security purposes. Quakertown Police were informed and, like the police departments supporting most districts around our region, agreed to provide presence on Friday morning to support security.
Throughout the week, students who indicated they intended to participate in the walk-out reported bullying and were receiving threats, and our concerns about safety issues continued to build. At 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, the district received what was deemed a new and concerning threat of violence. In close consultation with local law enforcement, we issued a notice before the start of school on Friday that, due to known safety concerns, students should not continue with the protest. This was in no way an attempt to silence students. Instead, we were adhering to our primary responsibility to prioritize the safety of all students and staff members. We met with student organizers on February 20 at 7:15 a.m. to reiterate our concerns about the threats to safety.
Around 11:25 a.m. on February 20, just before the walk-out was originally scheduled to begin, our administrative team assembled in front of the school and prepared for the possibility that students would proceed with their walk-out despite the safety concerns shared with them. Approximately 35 students left the high school building and continued off campus, which was not part of any previously discussed route. We received reports from members of the community that students were moving through town and that some were engaging in disruptive and unsafe behavior. Our school resource officer followed the students as they left our campus.
Once students left school grounds without authorization and walked into town, deviating from the planned walk-out route, they were no longer under the district's custodial control or supervision, and we have almost no legal ability to regulate or investigate their behavior. Administrators were not on the scene in the borough and were not in any way involved in student arrests. While we consider our local police departments to be valued community partners, and we are extremely grateful for their support, it is important to note that they are an entirely separate entity.
Here are some key points about how we will move forward:
As you are likely aware, while there are many video clips, the timeline of what unfolded and how is unclear. At this time, the school district does not have any additional information regarding the arrests or investigation, as the events occurred off school district property. Instead, our responsibility is to focus on creating as safe and supportive a learning environment as possible for students and staff to return to school this week.
Regardless of differing perspectives about what occurred, we are committed to listening, supporting students and staff who may need to process what happened, and ensuring that everyone feels safe within our schools. We are working with the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to develop a counseling support plan for our students and staff this week. More details about this plan will be forthcoming.
We have communicated with our law enforcement partners for police presence and support as we return to school.
We appreciate the grace and patience of our school community. Our administrative team and many of our staff members have been inundated with hateful messages and concerning physical threats to our personal safety via email, phone, and social media. This is simply inexcusable. We have and will continue to report these threats to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
We understand there are many strong views on this issue, and we simply ask for support as we work to balance the emotions and volatility that our school community has experienced and that our students and staff will bring with them as we return to school this coming week.
We anticipate there will be numerous questions, follow-up communications, and conversations in the coming days. We will do our very best to be as communicative and open as possible with our school community about issues related to the school district. As noted, the school district's ability to comment about matters outside of our authority and responsibility will be limited. If you have specific questions or concerns related to your child, please reach out directly to info@qcsd.org.
Thank you for your support of our students, staff and schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lisa Hoffman
Acting Superintendent of Schools
Quakertown Community School District
