Hundreds of students are expected to walk out of classrooms across Alberta Thursday in response to Bill 2, the Back to School Act.
The provincial government swiftly passed the bill in the early hours of Tuesday, using the notwithstanding clause to send teachers back to work after they were on strike for three weeks as contract negotiations screeched to a halt.
Matilda Barron, a 16-year-old executive with the Edmonton Student Advocacy Association, said she will be joined by hundreds of her peers in support of teachers.
“As students, we know what it’s like learning in these classrooms, and it’s really, truly unsustainable,” Barron told CTV News Edmonton. “We’re fighting to continue making teachers’ voices heard while they can’t anymore.
“Teachers are leading us into our futures. We are the future doctors, future lawyers, future politicians of the world, and if we don’t have a stable and healthy learning environment, then we will not be successful.”
While it can be intimidating for some students to walk out of class, Barron said there will also be sit-ins at certain schools, where kids will stay at school but won’t do any work or go to class as a form of protest.
The ESAA, started by Barron and a few of her friends, organized recent student-led protests at the legislature.
“We have had students from all over Alberta who are planning these walkouts contact us and ask for support in planning protests and walkouts,” said Barron. “It’s really just beautiful to see how many of my peers and classmates are so supportive of our teachers through these hard times.”
The Alberta Student-Walkout Association (ASA) is also organizing protests across the province in solidarity with teachers.
“As of now, 45 schools across the province have confirmed participation,” said an email from 16-year-old Kt Chilton on behalf of the ASA.
Dozens of students at Vernon Barford Junior High School in Edmonton protested Wednesday on the first day back to class.
“There are classrooms with 42 kids in them and there’s just not enough support to go around,” said Grade 9 student Evelina Breckenridge. “Every school really needs support, so we thought we’d come and show our support and at least try and make a small difference.”
Teachers have been calling on the provincial government to address issues of class size and complexity in its collective agreement, which expired in 2024.
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