Here’s what student activists are demanding for Boston schools

Armed with a list of demands, some Boston Public School students descended on City Hall Plaza on Tuesday to ask for change. 

“For years, BPS students have had trouble learning in an unhealthy environment without enough resources, investment, and support,” a letter to Mayor Michelle Wu read. “We are tired of the lack of change within BPS and the ignorance that the officials of this city have shown us.”

“If you choose to turn a blind eye to the students,” the letter continued, “then you do not care about student well-being and the future of BPS as a whole.” 

However, Mayor Michelle Wu did not hear the students’ demands directly. She was attending a climate summit at the Vatican.  

According to WGBH, several dozen students chanted, “New rules, clean schools” and “Hey hey, ho, ho, racist schools have got to go.” 

The letter includes a list of demands, such as updating aging buildings to have regulated class temperature, good air quality, renewable energy, be free from pests, dust, mold and leaks, and access to safe outdoor environments. 

Students also asked for additional resources in schools, such as expanded mental health, career, college and life-skill counseling. 

The students also asked for increased diversity in the school curriculum and staff. 

The students requested that the mayor hold a public meeting with the BPS community, including students, families and educators, to address the community’s concerns over the lack of transparency in making decisions. 

“This is our education, and we deserve to be in the room when decisions that impact us are made,” the letter said. 

BPS did not immediately return a request for comment.