Boston Public School Students to Protest Budget Cuts Today

Photo via iStock.com / BrianAJackson

Boston students are once again taking to the streets on Tuesday to protest planned cuts to public school budgets.

According to the Boston Globe, participating students will leave their classrooms to start the walkout at 1 p.m. Parents are expected to join the group as they march to City Hall for a budget hearing meeting.

The Boston Herald reports that school officials have warned students that they will be marked absent should they skip class. Some students may also miss the first day of MCAS testing in math, which is a requirement for graduation.

City Councilor Tito Jackson offered his support to the protest on Monday, as he criticized Mayor Marty Walsh’s $1 billion budget for making cuts to special education resources as a way to cover up a $30 million deficit.

“In real terms, that is a huge cut, and they know it,” Jackson said.

According to Boston.com, more than 2,000 students participated in a March walkout to voice their concerns over school budget cuts. The demonstration led to Walsh nixing the cuts to high schools.

Walsh told the Globe in March that he believes adults are feeding the students inaccurate information over the cuts. He reiterated his skepticism over the demonstrations while talking with the Herald about the latest protests.

“It seems like there’s adults behind this situation,” Walsh said. “They need to start acting like adults and work through the process. This is not the first time in the history of our city that we’ve had conversation around the budget, and it won’t be the last time.”