NYC Public Schools Announce They Will Let Students #ClimateStrike, Sept. 20!
'Holy Smokes, This Thing Could Get HUGE': NYC Public Schools to Let Students #ClimateStrike. "They are finally treating the crisis like a crisis," said 14-year-old New Yorker and climate striker Alexandria Villaseñor. Common Dreams, 9/12/19.
Climate advocates celebrated Thursday after New York City's public school system announced it would excuse the absences of students who have a parent's permission to participate in the global climate strike on Friday, Sept. 20.
"Holy cow!" tweeted Bill McKibben, a co-founder 350.org. The environmental group is helping plan a week of action that will feature thousands of events around the world to coincide with a United Nations climate summit in New York City. Another 350.org co-founder, Jamie Henn, also welcomed the NYC announcement on Twitter Thursday. He wrote, "holy smokes, this thing could get HUGE."
The NYC Public Schools account explained in a series of tweets that younger students will only be allowed to leave school for the climate strike if they are accompanied by a parent and promised to share guidance with the city's schools and promote class discussions about the climate crisis.
Alexandria Villaseñor, a 14-year-old NYC leader of Fridays for Future and the first American to hold a school strike for climate, noted in a statement that the New York City Department of Education's decision came "after many months of hard work and conversations between we activists and the city."
"They are finally treating the crisis like a crisis and this will make sure that September 20th is the largest mobilization that New York City has ever seen," said Villaseñor. "Now, I am calling on every city in the U.S. to follow New York City's lead, and support their students in striking for their futures. We need everyone in the streets next Friday!"
"It took me only 41 weeks to be excused from school for my #ClimateStrike," she added in a tweet. "Never, ever give up people."
NYC Public Schools
✔ @NYCSchools
.@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.
Link to tweet
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Mayor Bill de Blasio
✔ @NYCMayor
.@NYCSchools will be sharing guidance with parents, educators and students on how students will be able to participate in next Friday’s events in the next few days. #ClimateStrike
Link to tweet
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MORE, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/12/holy-smokes-thing-could-get-huge-nyc-public-schools-let-students-climatestrike
Sept. 11, 2019. Greta Thunberg, climate activist extended interview on the Democracy Now! news program.