STUDENTS WALK OUT AT CENTRAL HIGH TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS

About 30 high school students at Cape Girardeau Central High walked out of classes Friday to protest budget cuts and a ban on discussion of the cuts during class time.

Principal Dan Milligan said between 30 and 40 students walked out onto the Lou Muegge football field.

After a brief conversation with administrators, students went back to class.

"I think there is a lot of concern about the budget cuts," Milligan said. "There is concern any time you start to reduce services offered in the past. I'm sure the students have some concerns, as we all do.

He said students did not list specific budget cuts they were unhappy with.

"They were informed that there is a better way to voice those concerns than this," Milligan said. "They were very cooperative and they all went back to class."

The principal said he invited students to come to his office to discuss their concerns. As of Friday afternoon, no students had taken him up on the offer.

"If they want to talk, we would be happy to talk with them," he said.

Earlier in the week, high school administrators had circulated a memo asking that teachers not discuss the budget cuts in class. Specifically, Milligan said, students were unhappy because budget cuts were not being discussed in a Contemporary Issues class.