NYC says its 1.1 million students can skip class for the climate strike (as long as their parents say OK)
Why can't we seem to care about the climate crisis?02:12
New York (CNN)New York City's 1.1 million school students will be excused from class to participate in the global climate strike protests that are scheduled for this Friday.
The city's department of education announced the news a tweet.
.@NYCschools will excuse absences of students participating in the #ClimateStrike on Friday 9/20. Students will need parental consent. Younger students can only leave school with a parent. https://t.co/hcBO1Cnb3m
— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) September 12, 2019
Guidance sent to schools on Tuesday by the city's department of education advised that any student attending the protest -- with parental consent -- will have their absence excused.
This means middle and high school students will need to get permission, while elementary school students will still need to be signed out by a parent.
Children paint on a parachute made out of paper in New York City ahead of the September 20th Youth Climate Strike.
If you're a parent wanting to give permission to your child to be absent, you'll need to do so "in the same manner they normally would," the guidance reads. Basically, parents should follow their individual school's attendance protocol -- tell them in writing, in person, or by phone.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he supports the move, writing in a tweet, "New York City stands with our young people. They're our conscience".
We have ten years to save the planet.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 12, 2019
TEN YEARS.
Today's leaders are making decisions for our environment that our kids will have to live with.
New York City stands with our young people. They're our conscience. We support the 9/20 #ClimateStrike.
In New York, crowds will rally in downtown Manhattan at 12 p.m. ET, where a roster of young climate activists will speak.
Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg, who sailed to New York to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23, is one of the speakers.
Thunberg shared the news of the excused absences on Facebook, challenging other governments to do the same. "Time is running out...", she wrote.
Also speaking is Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the 19 year-old Indigenous climate activist and plaintiff in the group suing the Trump administration over the climate emergency (which they say is being handled so negligently that it violates their constitutional rights).
Multiple organizations are behind Friday's events across the world, including Fridays for Future, Zero Hour, National Children's Campaign, OneMillionOfUs, 350.org, and others.
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