Dallas Schools on Lockdown After Student Walkouts and "Swarming" City Hall

Jay Gormley Reporting

(CBS 11 News) DALLAS There was a second day of debate over proposals that might give millions of illegal immigrants a chance of becoming U.S. citizens.

But the debate comes at a cost for local students protesting the reforms.

Thousands of high school students walked out of school and rallied across north Texas in support of the illegal immigrants.

For now student demonstrations are over in the City of Dallas. After two days of rallies school leaders have a plan to crack down on protestors.

Tuesday Dallas City Hall was swarmed by student protestors.

By train more than 1,000 students from Irving converged on downtown Dallas and hundreds more made the trip from Grand Prairie.

Thirty-three hundred Dallas students, from 20 different Dallas Independent School District schools made up the bulk of the demonstrators. Soon the protest would go from the plaza, to inside city hall.

“We were heard. We came, we said, we said everything we wanted to. We were heard, but now we should all peacefully protest,” said Bacinda Villereal, student protestor.

Hispanic leaders, school administrators and city officials applaud the spirit of the student protestors. But now, all agree, enough is enough… it’s time to go back to school.

“Tomorrow it is very possible that students will begin to be arrested for truancy. Your place is in school,” said Diana Flores, Dallas Community College District.

DISD officials say an accident involving four Spruce High School students is reason enough to end the walk outs.

An 18-year-old lost her hand when an SUV she was riding in rolled over. Police say the students were trying to rush to the demonstration.

In separate cases, two other students were treated by paramedics.

Now DISD is cracking down by placing a lockdown on all Dallas schools.

“Each of our schools are trained on what kind of lockdown procedures they have. If we get the intelligence that a walkout is gonna occur, we have a code by which we inform our principals and they execute the plan as designed,” said Dr. Michael Hinojosa, DISD Superintendent.

Along with the lockdowns the district says any student who decides to walk out could face possible suspension or arrest for truancy.

School administrators are also warning that unlike Tuesday, there will be no buses to pick up students and return them to campus, if they should leave.