BOSTON (WHDH) - Hundreds of Boston Public School students walked out of class Tuesday to protest anticipated budget cuts.
Around 300 students walked to City Hall, where they demonstrated outside against Mayor Marty Walsh’s plan for funding schools. Students said cutting the budget and closing schools will only end up hurting them.
“They complain so much about youth being in the street. By cutting that budget, you’re going to have a lot of youth in the street and lot more violence in the city of Boston,” said student Chris Folkes.
Walsh said the planned $1 billion budget is the largest in the city’s history. He also denied that any schools would be closing. Walsh said the walkout was sending the “wrong message” and that students who participated will be marked absent from school for the day.
Several of the students attended the City Council’s hearing on the budget. City Councilor Tito Jackson invited the students and said they have a right to protest.
“I think they should question our values because we are underfunding public schools in the city of Boston,” said Jackson.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)