Students at one downtown Toronto high school chanted "Doug Ford has got to go" as they walked out of class on Thursday, joining students at hundreds of Ontario schools who oppose changes to the province's education system. The walkout at Bloor Collegiate Institute was among hundreds by both elementary and high school students organized on social media, mainly Instagram, with the hashtag #StudentsSayNo. In London, Ont., dozens of students from H.B. Beal Secondary School lined the sidewalks for a protest, before marching to city hall to continue the demonstration. All these #ldnont students are ditching class. Students at H.B. Beal Secondary School walked out of class this afternoon as part of a province-wide protest against changes and cuts to the education system. pic.twitter.com/fjbttgBzJq —@Hala_Ghonaim Students also marched out of Mississauga Erindale Secondary School, just west of Toronto, carrying signs, many critical of Ford. There were also walkouts in other cities, including Ottawa, Windsor, Thunder Bay and Hamilton. At Queen's Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized the walkouts, saying the students were being used as pawns by "union bosses telling the teachers and the students what to do." Viral social media post led to walkout A viral post by Natalie Moore, a Grade 12 student at Listowel District Secondary School in Listowel, Ont., started the movement, and it quickly snowballed as her friends around Ontario shared it in their own Instagram stories. Moore said she was deeply troubled by the Progressive Conservative government's decision to increase average required class sizes in intermediate and high school grades in the province. "I emailed my MPP, and when I didn't hear back from him, I really wanted to do something," Moore told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Thursday. "I felt like students weren't aware, or they wouldn't do the research into the cuts. They might hear about them, but I didn't know how much detail they would know." We aren't doing this to skip class. We aren't doing this because teachers told us to. We are doing this because we are angry. we will not sit back and watch our education be ruined by adults who see us as nothing. #StudentsSayNo —@melino_juliana Amina Vance, a Grade 12 student at Western Technical-Commercial School in Toronto, helped Moore organize the protest. She said bigger class sizes — which school boards have warned could result in job losses for teachers, and decreases in the kinds of courses offered at individual schools — will be devastating, particularly for students with special needs or other challenges. "We are astounded they would do this to us, especially to marginalized students, who are already struggling in our school system," she said on Metro Morning. "We are showing them that students are informed, that students are angry, and that students are ready to make a difference." You can listen to the whole interview with Moore and Vance below: During question period at the Ontario legislature on Thursday, Ford said the walkout should have been stopped. "Our teachers have a responsibility to the parents, to the students, to make sure they stay in the classrooms and teach the students," he continued. "It's absolutely shameful they're using our students for a bunch of pawns," Ford added. A student posted this image of a protest sign on Twitter. (@kayluahs/Twitter) Schools preparing for protest Individual schools and boards in the Toronto area sent letters home to parents saying that administrators were aware of the planned walkout and that they would work to ensure student safety, while noting that the protests are not school-sanctioned events. "As a school board, we encourage students to be well-informed about issues in our society, to think critically, and to express themselves respectfully and responsibly in articulating views they may have," wrote the Toronto District School Board, the largest in the province. The protest action comes weeks after Ontario's Progressive Conservative government announced considerable education reforms. The changes include increased class sizes for intermediate and secondary grades, as well as new math and sex-ed curricula and mandatory e-learning modules. we walk out today. to young people: be brave, be bold, do not let them tell you what you know or what you deserve. get up. walk out. we got this. 💓 #StudentsSayNo —@rayneydaes The average class size requirement for Grades 9 to 12 will be adjusted to 28, up from the current average of 22, while the average class size for Grades 4 to 8 will increase to 24.5, up slightly from 23.84. The decision to increase some class sizes has drawn sharp criticism from some educators, as well as from unions and some parents. Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson ignited controversy when she said in an interview last month that bigger classes will make students more resilient and more prepared for the workforce. Moore said she believes Thompson's comments "are an excuse to cut funding and balance the budget. "That shouldn't come at the cost of our world-class education system." Thompson characterized the walkouts as "political stunts" and blamed teachers' unions for "not discouraging" them. "On a day when we reached out to begin good-faith consultations with Ontario's teachers, we instead are seeing Ontario teachers' unions condoning a student walkout at schools across the province," she said Thursday in a statement. "Our government will not be distracted from making the necessary reforms Ontario needs." today, thousands of kids are going to walk out in protest of doug ford's education cuts. thousands of kids have decided that staying silent isn't good enough for them. thousands of kids have decided they deserve a voice. #studentssayno —@deelxn For her part, Vance said larger class sizes will mean that the students who need help the most simply won't get it. "I see in my school every day, teachers are front-line on the mental health crisis. And teachers are dealing with those crises, student crises, every single day."<doc-sep>Joshua Freeman, CP24.com Thousands of students showed their dissatisfaction with the Ford government’s cuts to education today by walking out of class. At around 1:15 p.m., thousands of students marched out of class, chanting slogans and carrying placards. Dubbed the “#StudentsSayNo Walkout,” organizers said they expected 200,000 students at hundreds of elementary and high schools across the province to take part. At a number of Toronto schools, students poured out onto sidewalks and sports fields in large numbers to protest. “It clearly shows you that people are angry at Doug Ford and they don’t want these cuts,” one student told CP24 outside Bloor Collegiate. Another student carrying a sign which read “hands off my education,” said she’s concerned about the online classes the government is proposing. “I don’t agree with the online courses that we have to take because some people don’t have access to the internet or a computer that they can work on.” Organizing group “March for Our Education” said this is the fourth and largest walkout protest they have held to protest cuts. The group said the walkouts are being held to protest changes such as mandatory online courses for all students, cuts to Ontario’s autism programs, banning of cell phones from classrooms, the planned elimination of thousands of teaching positions across the province and larger average class sizes. “The message that we’re trying to get across to the Ford government is that students across Ontario will not stand and just watch as they rip apart our education system,” March for Our Education Co-Executive Director and Grade 12 student Frank Hong told CP24. “We started this only two weeks ago and we have reached almost every single student across the province. We have walkouts planned in North Bay to Windsor to Ottawa to Toronto. This is a province-wide movement and through this we hope the Ford government listens to us and cancels the education cuts.” The ministry of education responded to the walkouts and potential loss of teaching jobs on Thursday evening. “The ministry of education expects a total of 3,475 full-time equivalent teachers to attrit out of the system over the next four years, with an anticipated savings of $851 million over four years,” spokesperson Kayla Iafelice said. “As we’ve said from the beginning, not a single teacher will experience an involuntary job loss.” Beginning this fall, 1,558 positions are expected to be phased out through attrition and voluntary packages followed by another 619 in 2020-2021, 738 in 2021-2022 and 560 in 2022-2023. Also in response to the walkouts, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said she thinks roundtables and consultations are better ways to give feedback than walkouts. “We want to listen in a constructive way so we can gather all the data together so that we can effect change in a positive manner,” Thompson said. She said it’s difficult for the government to respond to messages sent in a walkout. “We’re seeing the en masse, but we’re not hearing their voice in a manner that we can work with,” Thompson said. “But you know what’s really important; I understand that the system is broken.” She said her government inherited an education system that was “crumbling” under the previous government and has undertaken consultations to improve the system. “We listened to parents, we listened to teachers and we listened to students last fall and because of that, we’ve landed in a very strong spot,” Thompson said. “We’re focusing on math, we’re focusing on the topics and subjects in school that will prepare kids for the jobs of tomorrow.” Hong said that beyond Thursday’s walkouts, students “are thinking about next steps” to make sure they keep the government’s attention. He said a campaign urging students and their parents to write letters to their MPPs will likely be the next step. “MPPs listen to parents because parents are voters. If parents start expressing their anger, MPPs will listen and eventually the Ford government will have to listen too,” Hong said. By around 3 p.m., most of the protests had wrapped up. “Walkouts do work. We amplify the student voice and the province and the world can hear us,” Hong said. Math tests, training being considered for teachers Thompson also responded to a report that the province is considering implementing mandatory math tests for all teachers. “We’re considering all of our options very carefully because again, we heard loud and clear from parents that we’re failing our students, the past government failed our students and as a result we’ve lost a generation and it has to stop right here and that’s my commitment as minister; we are going to make sure we get our math education back on track.” She said the government plans on “investing” in current teachers in the classroom so that they feel confident in their subject matter. “We want them to be confident. Teachers are at their best when they know their subject matter and they are confident and are actually demonstrating how math can be fun with students,” Thompson said. “So we’re going to be investing in teachers in the classroom with supplemental math courses to make sure they have the confidence to be standing in front of the class, teaching them math. Asked if she thinks teachers will be supportive of the supplementary training, Thompson said “I know that they support the fact that we want to see them be the best that they can be and to be the best, we know we have to help them and invest in them.”<doc-sep>Share this Story: Student walkout targets education changes. But will they sway Doug Ford? Student walkout targets education changes. But will they sway Doug Ford? Article content Thousands of students from dozens of schools across the region and the province made an impassioned plea to Ford Nation Thursday to end sweeping changes to education programs. The student protest, that Progressive Conservatives later dismissed as “a stunt” backed by teachers’ unions, was part of the #studentssayno movement. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Student walkout targets education changes. But will they sway Doug Ford? Back to video The government of Premier Doug Ford has come under fire for recent announcements impacting several facets of the province’s education system. Announced plans include increasing class sizes, making students take more online courses, eliminating free post-secondary tuition for low-income students and overhauling the autism program to introduce funding caps, although there is increased funding to school boards which expect to see greater enrolment from autistic students. Our reporters are out across the #LdnOnt region as #StudentsSayNo protesters walk out of class to battle back against the Ford government's education overhaul #onpoli ⚡️ https://t.co/sdqYSMntQp pic.twitter.com/XK49AKH2JX — London Free Press (@LFPress) April 4, 2019 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In London, a peaceful but boisterous walk down city streets by H. B. Beal and London Central secondary schools saw hundreds of protesters effectively close Dufferin Street, disrupting traffic before police dispersed the crowd. A Woodstock protest also drew police, who cordoned off Perry Street as students protested in front of Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman’s office. In downtown London students chanted: “No ifs, no buts, no education cuts.” Vanessa Sweet, 15, organizer of the Central secondary school protest that ended in front of London city hall, said it felt to her like government was “cutting corners to knowledge.” “We are the voice of the next generation and fighting for our pathways,” she said. “I can only hope that our voices will be heard.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In London, as well as Woodstock, Chatham, Sarnia and St. Thomas, students said they took issue with increased class sizes, changes to post-secondary student loans, Indigenous issues, cuts to autism therapy funding and mandatory e-learning. The protest took place on the same day the Ford government passed legislation making math testing mandatory for teachers seeking certification by the Ontario College of Teachers. They also are considering making math skills a minimum standard for teacher re-certification. Across the city at A. B. Lucas secondary school, students held their own protest. Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions All 12 Photos for Gallery Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Doug Ford, if you think education is expensive, try the cost of ignorance,” said Sara Ahmed, 18. “Education shouldn’t be viewed as a cost or as a privilege. Quality education is an investment toward our future, and a fundamental human right.” Education Minister Lisa Thompson (PC — Huron-Bruce), issued a statement late in the afternoon Thursday describing the day of student protests “disappointing” and said student actions won’t distract the government from making “necessary reforms.” “On a day when we reached out to begin good-faith consultations with Ontario’s teachers, we instead are seeing Ontario teachers’ unions condoning a student walkout at schools across the province,” she said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12geQgE3cGY&t=8s Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “We know teachers’ unions organized student walkouts under the previous government. I’m concerned we may be seeing the same thing now, as teachers’ unions are clearly not discouraging this stunt.” Local MPP Terence Kernaghan (NDP — London North), who attended several of the protests in London and handed out Doug Ford’s cellphone number, thanked students for having “the backbone to stand up for education.” “You have to demand better of your Ontario government,” he said. — with files from Trevor Terfloth, Kathleen Saylors, Laura Broadley and Louis Pin Students from four area high schools shut down the street in front of MPP Ernie Hardeman’s office today during the student walkout. pic.twitter.com/fPz3AtcSs1 — Kathleen Saylors (@KathleenatWSR) April 4, 2019 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content hrivers@postmedia.com Twitter: @HeatheratLFP What students said: Brook Connell, Grade 11 student at Huron Park secondary school in Woodstock: “My brother has autism. They need that one-on-one attention; they need to learn; they need that attention; they have as many rights as we do and that’s why I’m protesting.” Desiree Catunto, Grade 12 at College Avenue secondary school in Woodstock: “I think the issue is the size of the classrooms. I am a person that needs a little extra help sometimes and if we have more kids in classes, that help is diminished to nothing and it goes to tutoring, which not every family can afford tutoring. I think its important to keep small classes so you can keep that one-on-one education and support. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Louisa Flock, Grade 11, St. Joseph’s secondary school in St. Thomas: “If we didn’t say something it would just get even worse. I felt like it wasn’t a ‘want’ to do this walk out, it was a ‘need’ to do it. If we let these changes occur, our future is just going to go down the drain.” Hunter Brighal, 16, H. B. Beal secondary school, London: “We care about this. This will affect us deeply. A lot of what he is cutting is stuff I think is important.” Niamh Ellwood, Grade 11 student in Sarnia: “We’re future voters, too. If they make us mad, we can vote them out. We control their jobs. We control what they can and cannot do. They work for us .<doc-sep>Article content Students booed Premier Doug Ford and chanted he was “not of the people” at one Toronto high school after walking out of class Thursday to protest changes to the province’s education system. Hundreds of students at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts joined about 600 from other schools across Ontario, organized online with the hashtag #StudentsSayNo. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ontario students stage walkout to protest education changes Back to video The students protested the elimination of teaching positions, larger class sizes, mandatory online courses, a ban on cell phones in classrooms, changes to the sex-ed curriculum and cuts to autism programming as well as fewer elective courses in the arts. The average class size for Ontario high schools is expected to increase from 22 to 28 students. “How is that creating a learning environment with that many in a class? Newsflash (Education Minister) Lisa Thompson, it doesn’t,” said Elijah Neville, a Grade 9 student who studies drama and vocal at Rosedale Heights.<doc-sep>
TORONTO -- High school students across Ontario walked out of class Thursday afternoon to protest the provincial government's recently announced changes to education. The Progressive Conservatives have come under fire for recent announcements impacting several facets of the province's education system. Announced plans include increasing class sizes, making students take more online courses and overhauling the autism program to introduce funding caps on services many parents see as essential. One student who helped organize Thursday's walkout said the government's moves have sparked a "wildfire" of political activism among the province's youth. "I think they're angry, they're hurt, and they're ready to rise up," Frank Hong, a Grade 12 student at Toronto's Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, said of his peers. Hong, the co-executive director of March for Our Education, the group organizing the walkout, said students from more than 700 schools wanted to make their voices heard. "We're all students. We did not spend any significant amount of money on this," he said. "It just caught on like wildfire, and it went across the province." School boards and teachers unions have warned that the government's planned increase in class sizes will result in thousands of teaching positions being lost over the next four years. Some boards have also written to the education minister saying the move will mean they can offer fewer elective courses, such as in the arts and skilled trades. For some students taking part in Thursday's walkouts, class sizes were top of mind. "In some of our schools class sizes are already too large," said Maira Nisar, a student at Toronto's Bloor Collegiate Institute. "This will make it worse." Nisar was among students who held a raucous demonstration with banners, signs and chants saying "Doug Ford must go" and "no cuts to education." Grade 10 student Megan Garzon said students recognize the government's desire to implement a cost-cutting agenda, but said education should not be a primary target. "We know there is a deficit but that doesn't mean education should be the first thing you cut," she said. The government plans to increase average high school class sizes from 22 to 28 students. Average class sizes for Grades 4 to 8 will increase more modestly from an average of 23 students per class to 24. Class sizes for kindergarten through Grade 3 are not changing. Education Minister Lisa Thompson has said there will be no "involuntary job losses" as a result of the plan and that Ontario high schools currently have one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in the country. She characterized Thursday's walkouts as "political stunts" and criticized unions for not discouraging them. "On a day when we reached out to begin good-faith consultations with Ontario's teachers, we instead are seeing Ontario teachers' unions condoning a student walkout at schools across the province," Thompson said in a statement. "Our government will not be distracted from making the necessary reforms Ontario needs." Premier Doug Ford accused "union bosses" Thursday of telling both teachers and students what to do when it came to the walkouts. Teachers have a responsibility to parents to keep students in the classroom, he added. "We know that the Grade 6 students, 50 per cent of them are failing math," he said. "Maybe they should keep them in the classroom to teach them more math." Harvey Bischof, the president of the union representing secondary school teachers in Ontario, said they had nothing to do with the protest but supported the students. "The students didn't need, want or ask for our help," he said. "We didn't offer or provide any help whatsoever. The premier and the minister should be embarrassed about making another fact-free claim." NDP education critic Marit Stiles said the government's union comments were insulting to the students who walked out of class, adding that they were forced to make the move because the government isn't listening to them. "Nobody wants to have to protest for very basic things like public education," she said. "But, unfortunately, what we've found with this government is that they don't seem to listen to reason ... I hope they get the message loud and clear and back away from this decision."