Schools take note: This district will let students skip class to protest

Ah, the perennial question, at least in 2019: go to class or attend a protest? For some students in Virginia, answering might have just become easier.

Starting on Jan. 27, one of the nation's largest school districts, Virginia's Fairfax County Public School District, will grant students in seventh through 12th grades excused time off to engage in "civic engagement activities," likely making it one of the first school districts in the U.S. to adopt such a policy, according to the Washington Post.

The Northern Virginia district will specifically allow one excused absence per school year for such activities, which could include things like marches or sit-ins, school system spokespeople told the Post.

In order to be approved, students must fill out a form a minimum of two days before their planned absence, as well as get approval from a parent or guardian. Students will also have to appear on campus at least once on the day of the absence.

In 2019, there were plenty of protests for students to attend. From the global climate strikes, to continued activism around gun control, young people have consistently been leading the charge in demanding action on a variety of issues. In 2020, it's possible that more and more students are going to need a day off.

"I think we're setting the stage for the rest of the nation with this," Ryan McElveen, a school system board member behind the policy, told the Post. "It's a dawning of a new day in student activism, and school systems everywhere are going to have to be responsive to it."