Scores of students, parents, and community members gathered at Ockley Green Middle School this morning in support of Chris Riser, a teacher who was put on leave last month for participating in a student Black Lives Matter walkout in February.

“If he doesn’t come back I really would be sad,” said 6th grader Mya Smith. “He’s just a good person even outside the classroom.”

Mya was one of the one hundred or so students that participated in the February 9 protest that Riser participated in. Organized by activist (and former mayoral candidate) Teressa Raiford, the walkout was specifically held to memorialize the death of Quanice Hayes, the 17-year-old killed by a Portland police officer a year prior. Students marched three miles and met with Hayes’s grandmother during the protest.

One of the most controversial aspects of the walkout in February was a staged “die-in,” where dozens of students lay down in the middle of a busy intersection, stopping traffic.

According to Principal Paula McCullough, who penned a letter in response to the event, “students were subjected to the risk of potentially severe harm because of unauthorized actions that were not in keeping with our obligation to ensure students’ safety at all times.”

But it’s still unclear why Riser, one of the few teachers of color at Ockley Green, was the only teacher put on leave for his participation. According to students who joined the walkout, other teachers and staff members also participated in the February walkout.

Mya said Riser “felt like a security guard” at the walkout, and that other organizers led the protest, notably Raiford.

“I don’t want him to be fired,” she said. “I really don’t think it’s a good reason for him to be fired because he helps a lot and I don’t know what I would do if he wasn’t here.”

Paige Wolff-Cloud, another sixth grader, echoed her classmate.

“People are saying that he forced us to go, and no he just gave us the chance to go,” she said. “He’s a teacher who thinks outside of the box and we need more of that.”

Sarah Cloud, Paige’s mother who also attended today’s protest, said she encourages her children to stand up for what they believe in.

“The notion that he forced students to go is wrong. [The students] made a decision,” she said. “The students here were protesting the murder of a child that wasn’t much older than they were. It’s this notion of safety that seems to be a privileged notion to me.” She also points out that Ockley Green has other safety issues that should be taken into account, allegeing the school has lead in its water supply and a rat infestation.

It’s unclear when PPS will wrap up its investigation into Riser’s role in the February protest.

According to PPS spokesperson Dave Northfield, the “confidential personnel process” playing out behind closed doors is being led by an unnamed “Senior Human Resources Manager for Employee and Labor Relations” and he adds, “PPS is interested in resolving this process without any undue delay.”