As a parent of one of the protesting students, I will share that my son (who hasn't missed a day of school all year apart from the snow/ice days, and who is a hard-working student) is respectful of all adults, but is learning to think critically and historically about what is asserted in the public sphere.  Initially, he was dubious about the value of the protest (which we parents were unaware of), so when he asked his father and me to sign the permission slip (which explicitly stated that the school didn't support it), we asked what had changed.  He said simply that he felt that the EarthGuardians were right that we need to think seriously about Climate Change and how we can work to improve our impact.  I told him that if his academic or attendance record were not sufficient, I would not support his choice, but they are solid, so I signed.   I agree with my son that we need to work harder to SEE the problems around us, and incrementally change our ways, and I am proud of him.