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High school students in Ottawa who walk out of class on Thursday as part of a provincewide protest won’t face discipline, according to spokespeople for all four school boards.

However, students who join the hour-long protest starting at 1:15 p.m. will be marked absent and their parents informed.

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Students across the province are organizing the walkout to protest education funding cuts and changes introduced by the provincial Conservative government, including an increase in average class sizes in Grades 4 to 12, mandatory online courses for high school students, changes to OSAP funding and a ban on using cellphones in class except for instructional purposes. In Ottawa, students at 34 schools have indicated they will participate by signing up on Instagram, but it’s unclear how many students will walk out.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board sent a letter to parents advising there may be a walkout and saying they might want to discuss it with their children. “At the school, we will be reminding students that the proposed walkout is not school or District sanctioned, and studentsare expected to be in class and regular instruction is planned,” said the letter.

“There are many opportunities to promote and encourage participation in civic engagement activities outside of the school day,” said the letter.