By: Alyssa UnderwoodWe, the young people of America, are at the heart of every social movement. Perhaps the most famous examples are the Civil Rights Movement and the Peace Movement during the Vietnam War. This remains true today. High schoolers across America have participated in many strikes, whether it’s for gun control or a climate strike, as Wilson had on Sept. 17. On Friday, Sept. 20, climate strikes took place all over America, and as most movements do, it included many students missing school to take place in the strike. Some students, like those in the New York School District, were given excused absences for the strike.
Unfortunately, students in the San Francisco Bay Area weren’t given an unexcused absence, like those in New York. Many parents still took their children to the demonstration, anyway. For others who couldn’t be excused, hundreds of doctors wrote doctor’s note saying that climate change is harmful to students’ health. Bay Area School District officials reported that they didn’t want students to miss school because every student absence costs money--about $47 per absent student. It costs so much because the amount of money each school gets is based on the average daily attendance. This can very quickly add up and affect the school. It’s worth it, though. This costs a lot less than what the costs will be when climate change has gotten worse. Students should be excused from school for strikes that they strongly believe in. Of course there’s going to be students who are absent to hang out with friends rather than going to a demonstration, but what’s more important is that students are aware of the major issues that they’re going to have to deal with in just a few years. These demonstrations can easily gain awareness and attract students’ attention. Schools should allow, and even almost compel students to attend these events because they need to know what they are going to have to face eventually, and for the issues students have to face already, they should be able to stand up, express their opinions, and fight for a change. Schools are supposed to teach, and students need to be taught what’s going on in the world and how it will affect them. If they don’t learn the importance of raising awareness and coming up with ideas to prevent more climate change or other major issues, then there will be no use for the Algebra and English that they’re learning now. It’s not just climate change, though. Students are walking out for many other issues as well, such as gun control. We’re the ones who are going to have to handle this in the future and it’s going to be even more of a big deal than it is now, so it’s vital that students are aware of the importance and begin to take part in improving the state of their society and planet.
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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