Fri. Feb 14th, 2025

Memphis middle school students walk out of class in support of superintendent

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Dozens of students at a Memphis middle school walked out of class Tuesday to show support for their superintendent. They’re protesting the Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) school board’s efforts to fire Dr. Marie Feagins.

Bellevue Middle School 8th grader Chayse Hawkins led the students in the walkout.

“Dr. Feagins’s support has been very immense,” said Hawkins. “Disturbingly, the threat to terminate Dr. Feagins’ contract threatens to destabilize our progress and disrupt our focus. In the short span of just nine months, I’ve never seen anybody accept a job and get in there 10 toes down just like that. Dr. Feagins has shown me what a true superintendent should be, which I like to call a ‘super superintendent.'”

Hawkins organized the walkout with his fellow Legacy Builders, a group Feagins created when she took the job to lead the district. The more than 100 students from various schools meet with Feagins regularly to share their input on making classrooms better.

“Dr. Feagins is such a loving person,” said America Rodriguez, a Legacy Builder and 8th-grade student at Bellevue Middle. “She always makes us feel so safe around her, and she always has this energy that I’ve never seen any superintendent give.”

“It’s just not the Legacy Builders; it’s the teachers,” added 6th grader Gavin Johnson. “They’re happy with her, and I just don’t understand if there’s just not a problem in the school district, why terminate her? Why?”

The group also issued a petition to middle schools and high schools across the district, collecting signatures from students who say keeping Feagins is the right move.

“I don’t really see a problem,” said Hawkins. “There’s honestly no problem. I think it’s more personal than surface issues.” We want to continue to build on MSCS instead of taking away.”

The students planned to share their petition with the school board at their meeting Tuesday night.

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