This Friday, in advance of the United Nations Climate Summit, students across the country will walk out of their schools as part of a Climate Strike. In New York City, the Department of Education has given its stamp of approval to the walk-out and won’t mark it as an absence, making it less “a strike” and more a coordinated effort by the school system to force political action on children.

Tweeted DOE: “We applaud our students when they raise their voices in a safe and respectful manner on issues that matter to them.” Does it? The department is only giving kids a pass to skip school to protest on this one issue. So while school brass may applaud students raising their voices, only preapproved political posturing will be granted official protest status.

Sure: Children are our future, goes the adage. Shouldn’t they have a say in what happens to their planet?

But what “say” are they having by marching around with signs — repeating slogans and talking points spoon-fed to them by … adults?

Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted about the strike on Monday, “Young people are taking action against Climate Change in record numbers. You know why? BECAUSE. WASHINGTON. WON’T. We are running out of time. Our kids aren’t waiting. We can’t either. #ClimateStrike”

But it’s hard to ignore that in this call for action there’s no, well, action. They’re literally doing what they’re urging politicians to stop doing: talking.

We could have had an army of teenagers cleaning up parks or beaches instead of striking and making signs. Teens could have led the way by not using cars or plastic utensils for the day.

Or how about something as simple as this: Give up their phones for a day (or, heck, 15 minutes!) to save energy. (Right!)

Instead, expect stories on Saturday about how much garbage the protesting kids left behind.

In my Russian-speaking community, people took to Facebook to discuss the similarities they saw to their time in the Soviet Union. One mom posted that the strike is “Soviet-style brainwashing and propaganda” Another mom wrote that the particular issue doesn’t matter; “having children demonstrate on school time was the Soviet way.”

One Park Slope elementary school sent parents a note that the entire school will be walking out for the strike. A mother of a 6-year-old told me, in response: “I am all for people supporting causes they believe in, but do not force your causes and beliefs on my first-grader.”

Another mom told me she believes in climate change and thinks the government should take action but finds the strike absurd. She’s afraid to single her kid out by making him skip it and isn’t speaking up.

In America in 2019, it really ought to be OK for parents to say: “My kids are not your props and, no, it’s not OK for them to spend school time making climate-change signs or walking out in protest.”

Memo to DOE: Some parents would actually prefer their kids to be in class learning than taking part in one-sided political theater (though, it’s true, at some schools kids who strike won’t be missing much).

Nor should parents be put on the spot and have to declare whether they want their kid to attend the organized protest. This isn’t a school subject. It’s not standardized testing or dissecting a frog. Parents shouldn’t even have to opt in to have their child attend (and whether even that should be allowed is arguable).

In any event, the real test to see if kids care about the Climate Strike would be to do it after school or on a weekend. After all, almost any teen will agree to skip school, no matter the cause. But every grown-up knows that far fewer teens would spend their free time protesting than school time.

Fact is, teenagers should be learning how to be adults and learning adult skills — not just mimicking actions of the adults in their orbit to gain their approval.

I believe climate change is real and we must deal with it. I teach my children to be good stewards of the environment. But that’s separate from allowing them to be exploited for political goals — even if I happen to agree with the mission.

Sticking kids with the job of solving climate change or even just using them as puppets is deeply inappropriate.

De Blasio tweeted: “New York City stands with our young people. They’re our conscience.” Maybe adults should have their own conscience.

Twitter: @Karol