A Portland Public Schools teacher has been put on leave because of his involvement in a student walkout last month, a district spokesman confirmed Sunday.

The school district put Chris Riser, who's listed online as a teacher at Ockley Green Middle School, on leave Friday, the spokesman said. A petition to reinstate him has garnered more than 1,300 signatures as of Sunday night.

The walkout happened Feb. 9, according to a message sent to families of students at the North Portland school.

"Our review concludes that 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," the message says.

KOIN-TV previously reported the district was investigating the walkout, which included about 100 Ockley Green students. The demonstration was in support of the family of Quanice Hayes, according to the news station.

Hayes was shot and killed by Portland police on Feb. 9, 2017. He was 17.

Dave Northfield, a district spokesman, said the district wasn't able to confirm what kind of leave Riser is on — or say how long he will be on leave.

"The leave is the result of findings from the investigation that was conducted after the February 9 walkout and march," Northfield said in an email.

The petition to reinstate Riser refers to the teacher as "an important presence to the students at Ockley Green Middle School."

"He is a strong voice for social justice, diversity and equality," the petition says. "At a critical time when gun violence is rampant, Chris Riser is teaching the kids that their greatest weapon is their voice. By placing him on administrative leave, it is teaching our children that speaking up for what they believe in is wrong."

KATU-TV reported earlier Sunday about Riser being put on leave.

Read the full message sent to Ockley Green families below.

— Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Dear Ockley Green community,

This is to let you know that we have completed a thorough review of the incident on February 9, during which students engaged in an unauthorized walkout. Our review concludes that 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.

Students were led out of the school building after a school assembly, despite instructions by school administrators to return students to their respective classrooms. During the walkout, students were directed to lie down in a busy and active intersection as part of a "die-in." This resulted in a traffic back-up, and at one point the students had to move out of the way of an ambulance that crossed through the intersection. After leaving the intersection, students were instructed to block traffic by walking in the street. The walk covered three miles and lasted two hours before students returned to school.

Portland Public Schools supports our students' rights to exercise free speech, to become involved in civic events, and to engage in political and social activism. We have, however, zero tolerance for our students being placed in unsafe conditions. This situation created an unacceptable level of risk to our students. We are addressing the circumstances surrounding the walkout and lessons learned, and there is a personnel process in progress regarding the incident. The district is required to keep this process confidential. We will continue to do all we can to provide students with a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Paula McCullough, Principal

Karl Logan, Senior Director