North Vancouver students who skip school on Friday to attend a global youth “climate strike” urging political action on climate change will have the moral support of their school trustees.
North Vancouver school trustees voted Tuesday to declare a “climate emergency” and support students and teachers in their efforts to bring the issue to the public.
“Students are often at the forefront of social movements,” said trustee Cyndi Gerlach, who brought the motion forward at Tuesday’s board meeting. Recent climate strikes around the world have been noticed by policy makers, said Gerlach. “We do have a climate emergency.”
The vote this week was in part a response to several North Vancouver teens who asked in June for trustees to support them in declaring a climate emergency.
“Climate change is a huge problem,” Handsworth student Emily Pennefather told the board then, adding, “It’s not something we can run away from.”
The students told the board youth around the world will continue to hold “climate strikes” and engage in civil disobedience to get government’s attention.
“When a student can get up and ask for something, we need to listen,” said Gerlach.
Superintendent Mark Pearmain said classes will be running as usual in North Vancouver schools on Friday. If students have the explicit permission of their parents to attend the climate strike, they will be noted as have an “excused absence” from class, he told trustees.
Some classes are also planning organized field trips to attend the rally.
The situation is similar in West Vancouver.
“We’re planning to run a regular school day but certainly appreciate that there will be some families and some students who are going to choose to participate in a protest, and that’s completely fine. We’re just asking that they would follow normal procedures,” Sean Nosek, associate superintendent for the West Vancouver School District told the North Shore News earlier this week. “We obviously recognize, for many of us, young people included, the environment, the impact of climate change is a huge concern and what’s more, the desire to take action is laudable.”
The Capilano Students’ Union will be leading its members to the protest, although the school is also not cancelling classes.
On Tuesday, North Vancouver school trustees told staff they also want to look at more ways to cut their carbon footprint.
Trustee Mary Tasi Baker suggested a new Cloverley Elementary school could be designed as an “eco demonstration” school to incorporate measures like solar energy and a green roof – if it gets funding approval from the province.
Trustees directed staff to look into the issue.
