A group calling itself A-PIERCE or “Advocates for the Preservation of Integrity, Ethics and the Restoration of Compassion and Equity,” is organizing a student protest walkout at Wichita East High School on Thursday, March 12. School officials say they are aware of the protest and have seen posters linking to material that many people would consider disturbing, but they haven’t notified parents because they don’t want to draw attention to it.
Spokeswoman for Wichita Public Schools Susan Arensman said the walkout is not approved by the district and students who “leave class without permission for any reason or who have unexcused absences are subject to consequences, which may vary depending on circumstances. Examples of consequences include the inability to retake or complete a test or in-class assignment and cumulative attendance consequences. Guardians are alerted to absences via normal attendance notification procedures.”
A QR code on fliers distributed in schools links to an online “manifesto” calling for students to march around the perimeter of their schools during the final hour of class on Thursday.
Arensman said the district was aware of the fliers and removed them.
“Any signs that are posted in a school have to be approved by school administration, and the fliers were not and were immediately removed,” She said. “Wichita Public Schools is committed to ensuring an environment that is free of discrimination, and to fostering a climate in which all employees and students may participate, contribute and grow to their fullest potential. Harassment and disparate treatment will not be permitted or condoned in Wichita Public Schools.”
Calling Israel “Our Genocidal Parasites,” the group’s manifesto is a hodge-podge of discredited Q-Anon conspiracy theories, leftist dogma, and outright and ugly antisemitism.
A Google search does not turn up any hits for “A-PIERCE” as an organization.
The group in one “slide” suggests that an email in the Epstein files reported George Bush (no indication which one) raping a man, and cannibalism of infants.
The organizer or organizers try to tie President Donald Trump — calling him “degenerate, disgrace and devil,” to Jeffrey Epstein, stating in one place that Trump was mentioned in the files “5,330 times (more times than God is mentioned in the Bible,) but later stating that he was mentioned 4,475 times.
The manifesto also blames Trump for both hiding and releasing. The Epstein files.
While the group says to “stay peaceful” in its “rules,” it also says that protestors should not confront law enforcement, but “don’t let them intimidate you either.”
The group also provides a list of suggested posters, including “Luigi was right.” Luigi Mangioni is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.
Arensman said the district has not notified parents of the proposed walkout — despite a similar protest in Olathe that devolved into violence.
“The parents have not been notified, as the school doesn’t want to bring unnecessary attention to it,” she said. However, she also said parents are free to pick their students up at any time for any reason, and “If students don’t want to participate, they are allowed to stay in their classes.”
Arensman also said that if the protest takes place on school grounds — as this one appears to be — staff will be present for safety reasons, and that the district will not tolerate anyone bullying another student into protesting.