Dear Families,
PPS has learned of a potential school walkout on Friday, May 20 related to climate justice.  Based on current information, students are to walk out of class between 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and travel down to City Hall by 11 a.m. 

To help prepare for this, PPS has updated our guidance and offer some important details to note:

• We recognize students’ right to free expression.
• Once students leave school grounds, we cannot ensure their location or their safety.   In some cases, PPS staff may monitor students in an “observe and report” capacity.  Due to the dynamic nature of protests we cannot ensure that staff are able to ensure student safety.  We do encourage students to express their perspectives through discussions, research, testimony, lobbying, petitions and demonstrations outside the school day. Teacher facilitated in-class discussions may also be useful, and we encourage teachers to reflect on the issues related to the protest.
• Staff are expected to continue teaching their regularly planned lessons. 
• High School students must make arrangements with their teachers or principals for addressing any missed school assignments (including quizzes, tests). High school students must make arrangements and have parent/guardian permission with their teachers in order to receive an excused absence if they choose to take part in local climate strike activities. (In cases where no parent/guardian is available, high school students should contact their counselor for help.) This excused absence will allow them to play in athletics or other school activities.
• We encourage families to have conversations with their students about climate change, climate justice and civic participation.  We also encourage parents to discuss their expectations around student participation prior to the walkout with their students, including what to do if and when leaving school, when the walkout is over, and returning home.  

Finally, per PPS reImagined, our district vision, we recognize that student leadership and advocacy is an important part of the educational experience:

• 
  PPS Climate Justice Youth Advisory Group: We encourage students to join the PPS Climate Justice Youth Advisory Group, which serves to advise PPS senior leaders on the future of climate justice efforts in our school district. For details, please contact Yian Saechao, PPS’ Youth Engagement Specialist at [email protected].
• Climate Crisis Response Policy: Student advocacy was instrumental in passing our Climate Crisis Response Policy, a set of policy strategies the PPS Board of Education adopted to reduce PPS’ greenhouse gas emissions and build a culture of learning, responsibility, and resilience around climate justice.