This Friday (September 27), children and young adults around the world will skip school to protest governments’ inaction on climate change.

The global movement has an event planned for Vancouver, where students are expected to gather outside city hall at 12th and Cambie streets beginning at 1 p.m.

“They will be walking out of class in large numbers across the Lower Mainland and are ‘calling on parents, unions, businesses, and the general public to join us in an international #EarthStrike for climate action’,” reads a Climate Convergence website in support of the student-led action.

This could put kids in a tough spot. Do they risk getting in trouble and do their bit to call attention to a problem their generation will struggle with for the rest of their lives, or play it safe and remain in their classrooms on Friday? Rather that leave students with that decision, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) voted Monday (September 23) to give its permission for students to attend the protest.

The motion was introduced by Vancouver School board trustee Allan Wong, who said that teachers should not penalize students who have their parents’ written permission to attend the climate strike. (Elementary school children can also skip class for the demonstration, but only if they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

“I think it’s imperative that our youth have the opportunity to participate in activities during this week of climate action,” Wong said quoted in a media release. “Students are leading the way on calling for action to address climate change, which is something that must be supported by educators and the entire education system. I’m optimistic that this proposal will be supported by my fellow school board trustees.”

Student walkouts are an increasingly popular tactic of the segment of the environmental movement that focuses on climate change. Recent months have seen Vancouver students marching through downtown streets carrying signs demanding that every level of government in Canada intensify its response to climate change.

The effects of climate change are already being felt today. Last January, researchers at the University of Victoria linked anthropogenic climate change to catastrophic wildfires that have burned across B.C. in recent years. The previous year, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warned that climate change has already reached a point of high risk of becoming permanent and explored whether there exists a line for the planet at which the worst effects of climate change can no longer be avoided.

The Facebook page for the September 27 demonstration in Vancouver emphasizes that everyone of any age is invited to participate.

“On September 27th, we will stand together with people across the planet to demand climate justice,” it reads. “This global strike is not just for youth—this time, we need everyone.

“We need you to put your normal life on hold and show up in the streets to demand dramatic and urgent action against the climate crisis,” it continues. “We will bring together citizens from Vancouver, the surrounding areas and the rest of B.C. to show our local and federal governments how much bolder we need them to be going forward.”

After meeting at Vancouver city hall at 1 p.m., the students’ plan is to march down Cambie Street, across the Cambie Street Bridge, and then up to the intersection of West Georgia and Hamilton streets. The action is scheduled to conclude at 5 p.m.

“This action will build momentum to a federal election where we elect climate leaders,” the event’s description adds.