With recent budget talk from Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh regarding new cuts for public high schools, students from Boston Public Schools (BPS) led a protest preventing proposed cuts.

On Mar. 7, more than 1,000 BPS students walked out of classes and marched through the downtown area to protest budget cuts.

According to The Boston Globe, the Boston Education Justice Alliance and the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools planned the walkout.

Students at the rally criticized Mayor Walsh for not providing proper school funding. In a phone interview, Walsh defended the district budget process, saying it was still in flux and an early estimate of the deficit.

Prior to Mayor Walsh’s budget cut, BPS recently announced other budget cuts in order to cope with their deficit. This cut could result in eliminated teaching positions all over the Boston area.

Mayor Walsh also stated that the school department is looking closely at expenses in transportation and food services to find extra resources to pass along to classroom use.

After the rally, the budget hearing was packed with parents, students, and teachers who opposed the budget cut plan.

Days after the large-scale walkout, Walsh delayed the budget cuts for new programs. The delay will also increase access to more rigorous classes for students, according to the Globe.

According to the Boston School Department spokesperson, students who participated in the nationwide walkout were marked “absent” on Monday. Parents were also notified, but asked that principals not discipline students who supported the march.