Local students are speaking up and walking out.

On April 4 at 1:15 p.m. students all over Ontario and right here in Burlington will be leaving their classrooms in a protest against proposed changes to the education system by the provincial government. On March 15 the minister of education unveiled a plan that would, among other things, increase class sizes for most grades, change the sex-ed curriculum, prohibit cellphone use during instructional time and add e-learning courses.

Caleb Smolenaars is a Grade 9 student at Burlington’s Nelson High School and a member of the walk out’s provincial organizing team. He said the protest is not just a bunch of kids skipping school, it’s about a real issue that will profoundly change their education.

“All of these cuts will affect us. It won’t do us any good. Schools and students need support. There’s already lots of violence in classrooms. I’ve had personal experience where we had to be evacuated from the classroom. Some teachers are being hit and just insulted,” said Smolenaars.

“We’re not just going to sit back and let the government cut our future down.”

Critics of the revealed plan have said it will result in the cutting of roughly 5,000 teacher jobs and strip away extracurricular activities.

The protest has already generated significant support with an online petition having generated over 50,000 signatures as of April 3. More than 600 schools have been registered to take part, including 11 in Burlington.

The provincial government has argued the plan will modernize classrooms, improve curricula for important subjects, and keep the system sustainable. They say it is both fiscally responsible and respectful of parents.

Critics say the plan may balance the budget but ignores the fact that students are not numbers.

“How is it right to put money before the well-being of our future generations and those in need?,” said Smolenaars.