Editor’s note: This commentary is by eight parents of U-32 students: Jane and Paul Knight of East Montpelier, Paige Canfield of Calais, Jennifer Myka-Smith of East Montpelier, Sandra and Buzz Ferver of Berlin, and Barbara McAndrew and Brian Clark of Calais.
We are writing on behalf of our youth activist students at U-32. Last month kids involved in cocurricular activities wanted to attend the student Global Climate Strike in Montpelier. However, the school doesn’t allow students to participate in competitive events the day following an excused absence (beyond medical absences). Exceptions can be made to that policy, but the school administration wasn’t willing to make one for these kids, who spent time building their case and presenting it to staff. The administration forced the kids to choose.
We view this unyielding administration’s stance as short-sighted and also gravely missing the point. We know that teens thrive when encouraged to act as leaders in their own education. We also don’t need to look any further than to science and other young leaders like Jamie Margolin and Greta Thunberg to know that their world and their future is changing. Fast.
In solidarity with the climate rebellion action happening around the world in October, a group of youth activists will be creating an encampment on the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier from Oct. 17-19, modeling how survival and resilience would look like through the lens of agriculture, migration and mutual dependence.
U-32 student participation in the encampment will force them to make the choice, yet again, between being part of their school community and educating themselves about their future. As an institution that is purporting to prepare kids for their future in society, U-32 needs to step up and help them bridge this huge, huge gap.
Because U-32 does not actively incorporate climate science into its curriculum, students who see the dire climate news live in a state of dissonance between what their daily lives present, and the fear and uncertainty that looms in their future.
Dear School Board, Administrators and Teachers: Please meet your students where they are. Many are rising up — they are angry and they are worried. They need your support. There are so many educational opportunities inherent to their activist efforts. If they would like to engage in organizing beyond the walls of the school, why not embrace rather than segregate these efforts? When teachers and administrators tap into the innovative ways that teens learn and grow in the world, we are all better off.
