Close to 3,000 students, 80 schools participated in province-wide school walkout against gender policies

Event organizers estimate that over 2,900 Calgary youth participated in a school walkout Wednesday to protest the province's proposed gender policies.

The 16-year-old lead organizer of the Alberta-wide school walkout against the province’s proposed gender policies said  that an estimated  2,906 students participated in Wednesday’s protests at more than 80 schools across the province.

The walkout was inspired by Leduc, Alta. Grade 10 student Aspen Cervo’s concern for his 13-year-old brother, who’s transgender.

"I'm lucky to grow up in a household where it's safe to be whoever I want to be, but not all kids are lucky like that," Cervo told The Canadian Press in an interview, adding he knows some others who aren't as fortunate.

"Some get rejected or kicked out, and it really hurts you when your own parents basically tell you you're not their kid anymore."

Beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, students walked out of their schools to take part in demonstrations against policies announced by Premier Danielle Smith.

Students from Calgary's Western Canada, Crescent Heights, William Aberhart and Henry Wise Wood schools opted in to the protest, among others.

They were joined by teens in Okotoks, Airdrie, Cochrane, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Leduc.

EDUCATION MINISTER STATEMENT

Friday morning, Alberta education minister Demetrios Nicolaides was asked about the gender policies at the launch of a new charter school in Currie Barracks.

“As education minister my priority right now as it relates to the policies is to sit down and talk with a lot of our partners," Nicolaides said. "Our teachers, our school boards and other partners to ensure that we implement these policies as effective as possible.

“(We want to) make sure that we do so in a way that doesn’t create additional red tape or burdensome requirements for teachers," he added, "and fundamentally we believe it’s important for parents to be involved in the education of their children and important life decisions that their children make as well."

Alberta education minister Demetrios Nicolaides at the launch of a new charter school in Currie Barracks in southwest Calgary Friday

Nicolaides was also asked his reaction to the Wednesday student walkout across the province.

“I think it’s important as Albertans we have these conversations," he said. "These students of course are participating in these conversations and it’s important we do that as a society, as a province that we have that kind of robust conversations.

"Again, at the end of the day, we will be talking very closely over the next few months with our partners, teachers, school boards, other partners to make sure we implement these policies in the most effective way possible to ensure that we don’t have any unintended consequences or obstacles or burdensome requirements on teachers, staff or families as well.”

With files by The Canadian Press, Tyler Barrow, Timm Bruch, Quinn Keenan, Levi Donley