Private school kids given OK to protest

Students from many prestigious private schools have been given permission to join climate rallies on Friday, but thousands face disciplinary action.

School students take to the streets of Melbourne as part of a nationwide strike to raise awareness of climate change. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Students from many prestigious private schools have been given permission to join climate rallies on Friday, however thousands of others risk disciplinary action for walking out of class.

Catholic school students in NSW have been advised against participating in the School Strike for Climate movement, with Catholic Schools NSW issuing a blunt warning: “Skipping school doesn't change the world”.

Strike organisers hope numbers will tip 100,000 as unions, teachers, businesses and parents commit to joining co-ordinated strikes and rallies across the country. But the NSW Education Department has advised schools that students are required to attend school.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday that she was not aware of any NSW public school that was supporting the climate strike. “You know, if kids want to go and protest about climate change or any other issue they’re entitled to do that, but they should be doing it outside of school hours,“ Ms Mitchell said.

“I’ve not been convinced by any rationale why this can’t take place outside of school hours and ultimately parents should be sending their kids to school on Friday.”

Students attending Uniting Church-run schools across NSW and the ACT, including Knox Grammar, Newington College and Pymble Ladies College in Sydney, have been given the go-ahead to strike.

In an email to parents, Newington headmaster Michael Parker ­said he had been opposed to the growing school strike movement until being lobbied by a group of Year 11 students.

“These kids are passionate, they are smart and they have thought it through,” he wrote. "Students who have shown they care about this should be able to march about it. If their parents have allowed them to be absent to go to the strike, then the least we can do is give them the school’s support too."

SCEGGS Darlinghurst principal Jenny Allum also changed her tune on climate strikes after a group of alumni urged her to support the strikes.

“I met with two of the SCEGGS Alumni … (who were) wanting to demonstrate solidarity with SCEGGS students who are rightly expressing significant concern, anxiety and sometimes despair surrounding climate change,” Ms Allum wrote in the school newsletter.

“I am not yet convinced that time off school to protest is more important or significant than doing a whole range of other things … but it is a moot point anyway — you don’t get permission to strike either!”

Workers striking in solidarity with students are also facing mixed responses from their employers.

More than 2000 businesses, including ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s and software giant Atlassian, will close to join the strike, but AGL ­Energy staff wanting to join have been told they will be required to take annual leave.

Ben & Jerry’s, who will shut all stores, urged everyone who could take part in the strike to do so, ­admitting the company had a huge carbon footprint.