Teachers, students and parents formed human chain around schools throughout Quebec Thursday morning.
This is the fourth such event since June to protest restrictions to education spending by the provincial government, and comes one day after tens of thousands of teachers with French school boards marched through the streets of Montreal.
The events are organized via a group called 'I'm protecting my public school.'
Protesters denounced the changes boards are making to reduce staff, especially aides who assist children with learning disabilities.
Teachers say the government's plans for larger class sizes with no additional resources means they won't be able to do their jobs properly.
They say they are being stretched thin in that way trickles down to the kids, because teachers want to give their best to children with special needs who may require double or triple the attention another student might require. Their worry is that all children will end up being shortchanged.
"I think parents do the support the teachers' demands but for some reason there seems to be a kind of a disconnect between understanding this is a neccessary evil - maybe that's a bit dramatic - but a necessary step to support our teachers," said one parent at Willingdon Elementary school.
On Sept. 1 more than 150 schools were surrounded by human chains, and that was denounced by Education Minister Francois Blais because of the use of children at the protest.
Teachers say they are fighting provincial demands for increased class size, and a three-year salary freeze.
Teachers are hoping they can capitalize on continued widespread unrest in the public sector to make some gains.
