LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Just under 15 percent of students in the Little Rock School District missed class Wednesday on a day organizers called for a "sick out" to support unionized teachers in the state-controlled district.
About 50 young people and nearly as many adults rallied outside the offices of Governor Asa Hutchinson hoping to deliver a message in person. They did not get a meeting, but no one in the echoing halls could miss their voices.
"We come from all corners of Little Rock and from all corners of the state," said Keeling Baker, the Central High School student body president. "We demand fair and equal treatment of our teachers and fair and equal treatment for our education."
The group started small but swelled over about a half-hour's time. The date had been circled on the calendar for a protest because it comes on the eve of the final day of recognition of the Little Rock Education Association as the collective bargaining agent for the district's teachers.
After rallying behind community activist Dr. Anika Whitfield, more than a dozen students stormed into the governor's reception area only to be told they needed to make an appointment.
About 10 people were allowed to remain in the waiting area while staff pledged to deliver their message to the governor. Many in the group signed up to be included.
In the end, one student and his father secured an appointment time for later this week.
That turned into frustration in the crowd in the hall.
"He has not let us into his office," said Sam Tripplet, a senior at Central High, which had the most absent from class with 523. "He has not made an appearance, so no, he has not made an effort to speak with us."
"Being a person who has supported the governor with some of his decisions in the past, I find it really sort of very disrespectful," said John Logan Darr, a junior at Central. "It's disrespectful that he refuses to even come out and be here today."
The school district warned parents that a staged sick out could lead to disciplinary actions, but also asked families to use this time as a teaching moment.
Some students said their parents had their back.
"They said 'go for it,'" said Olivia Erbach, a graduating senior. "They support [the teachers] completely and they wanted me to show my support because that's the right thing to do."
Union officials have been silent on plans for a work stoppage. The district has been preparing by recruiting substitute teachers and doubling their per day pay rate in the event of a strike.
Official attendance figures released by the district showed a total of 3,414 absent across the 40 schools and 23,237 students.
On Tuesday, 1,231 were absent for a 5.3 percent rate. The city's five high schools had 1,496 students absent or 44 percent of the total out Wednesday.