On September 20, 2019, thousands of students all around the world will gather to participate in the Youth Climate Strike. This Youth Climate Strike is agreed by many to be a very beneficial way to help save the state of our Earth, and the younger generations seem to feel strongly responsible for bringing the lime-light to the destruction of the Earth. The only problem is; the strike is during the school day.

Should we, as Whitney Young students, be penalized and given a Saturday school if we go to this strike? Sophia Ott, ‘21, said, “We should not be penalized for protesting because if we do not fix the environment, there will be no schools for us to go to.” Samuel Winters, ‘23, agrees with her. “I would say no. A student shouldn’t be penalized because that would insinuate that the school doesn’t encourage people to speak out when the problem needs it the most.” Most students seem to agree with the opinion that students should not be penalized for striking.

However, what if students use this opportunity to skip school? What should the school do if they don’t truly know the intentions of students “going” to the climate strike? Although this is a possible risk, the benefits of allowing students to strike without repercussions are greater than the costs. Isabella Aguilar, ‘20, replied with, “I don’t think students should be penalized for going to the Youth Climate Strike because they’re trying to do something good for the world and even if someone uses it as an excuse to take off school, just give them the benefit of the doubt.”

Did you go to the Youth Climate Strike and if so, was it worth the risk of getting a Saturday school trying to do something good for the future of our Earth? Comment below.