Exclusive | Elite LA school celebrates anti-ICE student walkout in yearbook spread

An elite California private school is facing backlash from parents after dedicating a two-page spread in its 2026 yearbook to a student anti-ICE walkout — complete with photos of protesters carrying signs declaring “Ice will melt in hell” and “no one is illegal on stolen land.”

More than 100 students at Harvard-Westlake School in LA participated in the nationwide anti-ICE demonstration on Jan. 30, leaving campus and marching along Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Boulevard carrying protest signs.

At the time, school officials told parents they were not officially endorsing the demonstration but would not stop students from leaving campus.

Now, months later, the protest has been immortalized in the school’s yearbook.

The spread features multiple photos from the demonstration and asks students to answer the question: “what moment from the anti-ICE walk out felt the most powerful and meaningful to you?”

The yearbook feature has angered some parents who argue the prestigious school crossed the line from education into political activism.

“I would say everyone is entitled to political beliefs but the school should not be making political decisions. They overstepped the line,” one Harvard-Westlake parent told The California Post.

“It really does go from education to indoctrination.”

The controversy is unfolding at one of the country’s most prestigious private schools. With annual tuition topping $50,000, the Studio City campus has built a reputation as an Ivy League feeder school and attracts the children of Hollywood executives, entertainment industry heavyweights, political insiders and some of Los Angeles’ wealthiest families.

“As you may be aware, some students have indicated that they plan to participate in a walk-out at 11:45 a.m. tomorrow to protest ICE,” Upper School Head Beth Slattery wrote to parents the night before the protest.

“The school is not officially supporting this walk-out, but students will not be physically prevented from leaving campus should they choose to participate in the protest.”

The following day, Slattery informed parents that an estimated 100 to 125 students had joined the protest.

“The students who participated walked down Coldwater and Ventura, carrying signs in peaceful protest,” she wrote. “In speaking with participants when they returned, there was an overwhelming sense of pride in themselves and their classmates for standing up for their beliefs. I share in that pride and hope that they will continue to engage on issues that matter to them.”

“I think it was really empowering to feel the great sense of community around me with a bunch of other fellow HW students and faculty members,” one student wrote.

The parent who spoke to The Post claimed the school is narrowing the range of perspectives students are being exposed to.

“These students are presented with these political opinions by their teachers and they’re presented as facts. It limits viewpoint diversity.”

The parent also said others in the school community privately share similar concerns but are reluctant to speak publicly.

“There are many others who share this feeling but they’re afraid to speak up because their child may face some retribution because of it.”

Yet critics say the yearbook spread has thrust the elite institution into an increasingly heated debate over politics in the classroom.

Harvard-Westlake did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

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