As classes changed at 11 a.m., around 50 LaSalle Comprehensive High School students packed their bags and walked out the front doors in protest.
The students are denouncing a number of conditions that cause concern amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and requesting online schooling be more accessible.
“Stop treating us like guinea pigs,” said student organizer Lily Rowe. “Make online school an option.”
Rowe organized the protest purposefully on Montreal’s first day in the red zone, when public gathering places such as bars, restaurant dining rooms and libraries are being shut down, but school is still in session.
“They’re closing everything else but they’re keeping the schools open — it doesn’t make sense,” said Rowe’s mother Trina Padulo.
Her two daughters both attend LaSalle Comprehensive, where the girls say the conditions have made them feel unsafe.
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“Most of the classrooms, they don’t have windows and the ventilation is really bad,” said Rowe.
Fellow walkout participants say that isn’t the only issue, blaming full classes with no social distancing and not many people wearing masks.
“It’s just dangerous and I really don’t support staying in school,” said student Matthieu Jerome, who walked out beside a friend.
The government, however, stands by the current measures in place at Quebec schools.
“Right now we follow the guidelines of the public health, so I feel confident that the rules are OK,” said Premier François Legault.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board did not support the students who chose to walk out.
“We have always encouraged the students in finding their voice and standing up for what they believe in,” the board wrote in a statement. “In the current context, however, we feel it would be reckless and irresponsible to support a student walkout. The safety of the Lester B. Pearson School Board community remains our utmost priority,”
Students want to see the school address their concerns, until then they say they do not feel safe learning in the classroom.
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