Prince Rupert teachers may not be participating in the rotating strikes today, but there was a picket line of sorts in front of Charles Hays Secondary School this morning.
Students at the school joined thousands across the province for a walkout to raise awareness of the impacts the ongoing labour dispute between the B.C. teacher's Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association is having on them. The students, brandishing signs including 'Strike + Lockout = Walkout", "Education is NOT a Business" and ""We're making a point", gathered along Prince Rupert Boulevard and, much like their teacher counterparts, elicited honks of support from passing motorists.
The walkout was planned during the only day this week when the BCTF hand no rotating strike action planned. As of Wednesday morning, more than 13,500 students across the province had voiced their plan to attend through the BC Student Walkout Facebook group.