More than 2,400 students plan to walk out of school at noon today to protest the elimination of free MetroCards — and leaders from the city’s politically wired transit and teachers unions will be there to cheer them on.
The mass exodus will affect 23 high schools in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens, and will end with a rally outside City Hall.
There, students will meet up with members of the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the United Federation of Teachers and demand that local and state officials fork over more money for the transit passes.
The kids are organized under a student-run group called the Urban Youth Collaborative, which says it wants to give elected officials a glimpse of future empty classrooms unless they rescue the free rides.
A spokesman for the demonstrators, professional consultant Evan Thies, denied any link between the students and the unions.
He insisted that the unions did not organize the students.
By far the hardest-hit institution will be the Roosevelt Campus Schools, mostly located at Fordham Road in The Bronx, which expects 400 students to walk out at noon.
Also hard hit will be Newcomers HS, in Long Island City, Queens, where about 100 students plan to walk out.
City Department of Education officials said any punishment for going AWOL will be doled out by principals at each affected school.
“It’s a regular school day and we expect students to be in school,” said spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.
“It’s a very important time because there’s Regents test prep going on and we have a lot of final projects for middle-school students.”
The MTA board will vote in July on cuts to the 600,000 free cards as a cost-saving measure.
If the plan is approved, the students would be forced to buy their own MetroCards by the beginning of the school year in September.
The MTA plans to save $46.5 million by charging half-price for currently free student MetroCards in 2010.
In 2011, the kids would be charged full price.