Lunch detentions follow Hononegah student walkout

Days after a student walkout at Hononegah High School, questions remain about how administrators handled discipline and notified families.

On Feb. 5, 2026, Chad Dougherty, the principal of Hononegah Community High School, sent a message to students and families addressing the planned student walkout against immigration policies and the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Those messages preceded student-organized demonstrations the next day.

Hononegah Announcement

Greetings Hononegah Students and Families:

As you may be aware, there is an ongoing discussion among young people and families across the country about safety and related topics. In many schools, students have announced plans to participate in a school walkout.  Other forms of activism are also being seen in different schools.

If some Hononegah students feel compelled to protest any topic important to them, we encourage them to select an event and time that does not interrupt their learning or disrupt the school.

If a student walkout occurs during school hours, our priority – as always – will be to maintain a safe environment for all students, regardless of their views or whether they choose to participate in a walkout. To accomplish this, we will observe these guidelines:

Students choosing not to participate in a protest will remain in class.

Students who choose to walk out during school hours will be encouraged to achieve their goals in the safest and least disruptive way possible, such as by congregating in a safe area within the building or on school grounds.

Students are required to remain on our campus at all times.

Students are required to return to their regular schedule immediately upon the conclusion of any protest.

We will coordinate with the Rockton Police Department to monitor protests and ensure student safety.

Students may be disciplined for engaging in an act of protest if it is disruptive or otherwise violates school rules, as well as for leaving school grounds during school hours. Students choosing to walk out and leave the grounds are subject to consequences equal to rules that are violated during the regular school day.

We expect students to accept the consequences of their actions.

Students have the right to protest, but not to interrupt or disrupt the school day or the education of other students. We respect the right to protest, while also maintaining a caring and safe environment for all students, regardless of their views. Thank you for continuing the conversation about school safety with our students in your homes. 

Thank you,

Chad Dougherty, Principal
Hononegah Community High School

On Friday, Feb. 6, two separate student actions occurred.

• An estimated 200 to 400 students left class during seventh hour to protest immigration enforcement and ICE. They marched around the track as part of the protest. Those students missed instructional time.
• A second group gathered for prayer during passing periods inside the school entrance. According to these students, those participants did not miss class time and were not marked absent.

Prayer and protest

A Facebook post from Turning Point USA Rockford said:

Shoutout to the Hononegah’s Club America Chapter and the students who chose a different path on Friday. While a walkout disrupted the school day and students’ education, this group made the decision to stay inside the school and come together in prayer. Peaceful, respectful, and grounded, proud of these students for standing by their values while honoring their learning environment!

Nina McClung, a Hononegah senior, told us that, at the rally outside, "The chant I heard the most was 'Love not hate, make America great.' This doesn't sound like we are dehumanizing or hating on anyone, let alone being destructive." She said a few students came out to the track to counter-protest, "yelling obscenities at us and flipping everyone off that [they] possibly could." Another marcher observed a boy "standing in the bed of his truck verbally yelling at the kids going around the track."

Other students told us they found the prayer circle disruptive. A senior athlete says it blocked the hallway by the visitors desk "making it hard for us to get through and other students to get to their classes." She says she heard that "some students who thought about joining the prayer circle" decided it was disrespectful when they saw the group had put a Bible on the floor.

Kennlee Ray, leader of Hononegah's Turning Point USA chapter, says the anti-ICE protests resulted in blocked hallways, students arriving late to class, and chaos in the parking lot, with students shouting, driving recklessly, and running through campus.

Called into the office

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, students involved in the seventh-hour walkout were called to the office of Dean of Students Anna Hulburt.

During the disciplinary meetings, administrators informed students that the walkout disrupted the school day and would result in disciplinary action. Emailed referrals cited students for being in an “unauthorized area,” meaning they were on campus but not in class.

According to several students, one reason their Feb. 6 walkout had been disruptive, according to Hulburt, was because the Rockton Police Department had to be called.

When contacted by the Rockton-Roscoe News on Monday, Feb. 9, Rockton police officer Matthew Baade said they had no record of being asked to provide additional support at Hononegah High School that day.

Student organizer Aidan Phommachanh told us, "I believe that the school has designated our protest as a school disturbance because it required the presence of supervisors. So if they say we are being punished because we caused a disturbance, there is their thought process."

Shortly after students were notified of the disciplinary action, parents began receiving automated emails from the school’s Discipline/Attendance Office.

In an email forwarded to Rockton-Roscoe News, the message read:

Dear Parent/Guardian:

We would like to inform you of a recent incident involving (Student-X) being in an UNAUTHORIZED AREA, with a referral date of 02/06/2026. Skipped 7th hour on 2/6 for the walkout.

The action of 5TH HOUR LUNCH DETENTION was added on 02/10/2026. 5th HOUR LUNCH DETENTION MEET IN THE D.A. OFFICE.

(Student-X) needs to serve 1.00 hours starting on 02/10/2026.

Sincerely,

Discipline/Attendance Office Staff

Some students questioned the disciplinary decisions, particularly students who described the walkout as peaceful and brief. They asserted that they had tried to follow the guidelines in Mr. Dougherty's email by not leaving campus and not being disruptive and that not all students had received the same consequences.

When reached for comment regarding discipline, District Superintendent Michael Dugan and Hononegah High School Principal Chad Doughtery said in a joint statement:

“I am unable to discuss specific student matters or discipline. Students with attendance violations will receive discipline described in the code of conduct outlined in the student handbook.”

Student organizer Aidan Phommachanh says, "Some students had their parents call them out before the protest, so it would be an excused absence, but the vast majority was not told that was an option. And any phone call with the objective to excuse their child after the walkout will be invalid."

In addition, Phommachanh wonders if some teachers were "maybe confused on how to mark their student absent or present, so there is some inconsistencies with that. Some students stopped in their classes to 'check in' and left so they could participate... Currently, it seems they are going after 'absent' students who have no valid form of excuse."

Some parents also expressed confusion about how the school classified “unauthorized area.” As of now, some students have chosen to serve the assigned lunch detentions, while others are still seeking clarification.

What is an unauthorized area?

Definition from Hononegah Student Handbook 2025-2026

UNAUTHORIZED AREA (UNA)
Hononegah Community High School operates a closed campus. Students are not permitted to leave school grounds at any time without authorization from school personnel. Students who are not in their assigned area during lunch but are on school grounds are considered to be in an unauthorized area. Students must follow their assigned schedules at all times. Students who do not follow their assigned schedules are considered to be in an unauthorized area. This includes, but is not limited to, being in a hall, elevator, or other areas without a valid pass, and leaving the building without permission.

Organizers of the 2026 walkout had originally announced that students should "gather in front of the main entrance on the concrete" at 1:25 p.m., but say they relocated it because the prayer meeting later decided to meet inside the main entrance. They printed a flyer announcing the change.

IMMEDIATE TEAM ANP RELEASE

To ensure a safe, respectful, and organized demonstration, we will be relocating the rally to the plaza between the Field House doors and the main gates.

This decision reflects our commitment to leading responsibly, minimizing the risk of disruption, and ensuring that our voices are heard clearly and constructively. It also helps ensure that participation can take place within school guidelines, reducing the likelihood of any disciplinary consequences.

The weather looks promising, though still chilly. so please dress accordingly. Any signs dropped off beforehand can be picked up at the new rally location.

I'm grateful to everyone who continues to show courage, maturity, and respect - both in standing up for what matters and in working within school guidelines to keep this action safe and effective.

Thank you for making this possible. I look forward to seeing you there.

Another walkout from the past

A federal lawsuit filed in 2018 against Hononegah Community High School described a prior student walkout, that one about gun control, that administrators handled differently.

According to the 2018 complaint [PDF], on March 14, 2018, approximately 50 to 75 students exited the building at 10 a.m. “under the direction of school personnel.” The filing states that administrators provided an area on school grounds for students to gather and did not punish or reprimand students for leaving class during that period.

The 2018 lawsuit said, “The administration and faculty at HCHS helped facilitate the walkout by providing an area on school grounds for the students to congregate, and by not punishing or reprimanding the students for leaving class in the middle of that school period... On March 14, 2018, at 10:00 A.M., approximately fifty to seventy-five students exited the HCHS building under the direction of school personnel.”

In 2026, school administrators were also present, but one student told us, "the fact that admin was outside made it feel like a school-sanctioned event, which it wasn't."