Students chanted outside Harbord Collegiate Institute Friday during a walkout to protest against the way the school handles allegations of sexual abuse involving staff and students.

"We are breaking the silence over sexual misconduct in schools to make sure that no student ever has to experience what we have experienced," said one student as her voice boomed through a speaker. "Our voices are not just rumours and we are not just rumours."

The students walked out of classes at the high school, located near Bathurst and Harbord streets, following multiple allegations that a staff member sexually harassed students. Students at several other high schools across the city staged walk outs, as well, to support the growing Not Just Rumours movement.

"While we encourage students to express their views in a respectful and responsible manner, we're also trying to ensure that they do so safely," said TSDB spokesperson Shari Schwartz-Maltz in a statement to CBC Toronto, adding that the accused teacher has been put on home assignment pending a board investigation.

No criminal charges have been laid.

Not Just Rumours a growing movement

"We are asking for students' allegations in all cases of sexual misconduct to be taken seriously," said student Hannah McCammon.

She wants procedures put in place so students are properly protected and that their safety is never in jeopardy.

Hannah McCammon was one students involved in the demonstration. (Pelin Sidki/CBC) McCammon said the students are also asking for resources "they can go to so they can begin to recover from the incident."

Sara Escallon-Sotomayor, a student at the school, started a petition last month on Change.org asking Ontario Education Minister Indira Naidoo-Harris to amend the Protecting Students Act.

"Oftentimes the disciplinary actions taken against the perpetrators in these cases amount to little more than a slap on the wrist, when in reality, they should have their teaching licences revoked to guarantee student safety at all times," Escallon-Sotomayor wrote on the petition page.

Licences will now be revoked

Not only did the petition gain over 17,000 signatures, but it prompted a response from the minister's office.

Students walked out of school Friday afternoon. "This week, the government passed legislation to strengthen the disciplinary actions for teachers and early childhood educators, aligning them with regimens for health professionals. Changes include the mandatory revocation and suspensions of certificates of registration for findings of guilt involving acts of sexual abuse," Heather Irwin, a spokesperson for Naidoo-Harris, said in a statement to CBC Toronto.

"This will help ensure that the College of Teachers and the College of Early Childhood Educators further have the tools they need to respond to cases of professional misconduct and make sure student safety is prioritized," Irwin said.

But students and parents at the demonstration said it's still not enough, and criticized the school's handling of the sex abuse allegations against the staff member.

'We saw her acting more depressed'

"Here at Harbord, we want to see that the school administration who really handled this very badly is held to account for that," said Stephen McCammon, father of Hannah McCammon. "And that hasn't happened yet."

Stephen McCammon, father of Hannah McCammon, is part of a group of concerned parents who have been meeting regularly since January. (Pelin Sidki/CBC) This father is part of a group of concerned parents at the high school who came together in January to "try to push for an accountable school when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment.

Big picture, he said, these parents want a school system that better tracks students' allegations, ensures they are taken care of, and reports back to the community.

Stephen McCammon said he and other parents felt they were left in the dark and isolated when it came to the allegations against the school teacher.

"We were discouraged from that free flow of information," he said.

Once the allegations started being discussed openly, he said he saw a dramatic change in his daughter.

"The change in our daughter has been quite incredible. She found her voice. She found her peers."