Amid controversy over a high school student protest in eastern Pennsylvania that led to at least five arrests, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office launched “an independent investigation into the police response during this incident,” according to the office’s Feb. 21 statement.

The probe stems from police–student confrontations that occurred on Feb. 20 after about 35 Quakertown High School students defied school officials and left school to protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The borough of Quakertown, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia, is home to about 9,000 people.

It was among many U.S. communities affected by schoolchildren’s anti-ICE walkouts, which have spread in recent weeks.

Social media posts have accused Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree of getting into a scuffle with a student, with at least one video showing the incident.

A Change.org petition calls for him to resign.

The Epoch Times sought comment from Bucks County prosecutors, Quakertown borough officials, and police, including McElree, and received no response before publication.

Lisa Hoffman, acting superintendent of schools in Quakertown, issued an update Feb. 22, saying: “We received reports from members of the community that students were moving through town and that some were engaging in disruptive and unsafe behavior.”

The students deviated from the planned walkout route and left campus, according to Hoffman.

“They were no longer under the district’s custodial control or supervision,” Hoffman continued, “and we have almost no legal ability to regulate or investigate their behavior.” The school resource officer followed them, however, she said.

Administrators “were not in any way involved in student arrests,” Hoffman wrote.

She called the walkout-related fallout “unexpected and stressful for many of our students, staff, parents, and community members.” Some news-media coverage and “information circulating on social media have made this even more challenging,” Hoffman said.

High school students protest against ICE outside the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

She said that Quakertown schools followed procedures similar to those of most other nearby school districts after learning about students’ plans for the walkout.

“Like nearly every school district across the region, it is our practice not to endorse or facilitate a student walk-out during the school day for any reason,” Hoffman said.

Administrators met with student organizers on Feb. 13 and Feb. 18 to review their plans, she said, “and to discuss alternative ways to demonstrate their right to free speech that wouldn’t disrupt the school day.”

However, as the planned Feb. 20 protest date approached, “students who indicated they intended to participate in the walk-out reported bullying and were receiving threats, and our concerns about safety issues continued to build,” Hoffman wrote.

And, on the eve of the planned walkout, “the district received what was deemed a new and concerning threat of violence,” Hoffman said, giving no further details.

After consulting with local law enforcement, “we issued a notice before the start of school on Friday that, due to known safety concerns, students should not continue with the protest,” she wrote.

“This was in no way an attempt to silence students,” Hoffman said. “Instead, we were adhering to our primary responsibility to prioritize the safety of all students and staff members.”

Nevertheless, students walked out around 11:25 a.m. on Feb. 20, close to the previously set time, culminating in the disturbance that involved police.

Prosecutors asked anyone with information or video footage from the incidents to call Bucks County detectives at 215-348-6354.