SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Governor Jay Inslee of the U.S. state of Washington voiced support on Tuesday for the participation of students in a Global Climate Strike scheduled for Friday, despite warnings from school authorities.
"I encourage educators to embrace Friday's Global Climate Strike as part of a strong civic education for young people. The youth of today will inherit the planet of tomorrow," he said in a statement issued by his office Tuesday.
Inslee said he could excuse students himself for their absence from school to attend the walkout if he "had the authority."
The governor's supportive posture came in contrast to school authorities' threat to punish students who would skip classes on Sept. 20 for the climate event.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau said the students would not be excused if they stay absent from school, according to KUOW radio in Tumwater city.
"The district is treating Friday like a normal school day, and that means they'll record absences," KUOW quoted the school superintendent as saying.
The students can certainly engage in all of these activities, "but it does result in an unexcused absence," Juneau said.
However, Inslee stressed that student engagement in the global walkout is commendable.
"Their future is the one truly at stake. Moments like this in our environmental history will define us and will reverberate for generations," he said.
KUOW radio said many students in the state will join Amazon employees and thousands of other workers on Friday to stage protests calling for immediate action on climate change.
The students and Amazon employees will march to Seattle City Hall following two separate rallies in the city.
