LONDON, ONT -- Carrying “On Strike” signs, hundreds of high school teachers and support staff in Huron and Perth counties walked off the job Wednesday.

It was a day off for thousands of students in the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) as members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) took to the picket line.

It’s the second day this school year OSSTF members in the rural school board have walked off the job, supporting a provincial campaign to stop cuts to education in the province.

Shane Restall represents high school teachers in the Avon Maitland board. He says the proposed cuts to education could ultimately lead to school closures.

“In the short-term the cuts will lead to bigger class sizes and less choice for students. In the long-term it could lead school closures, especially in rural Ontario.”

It wasn't just teachers off the job Wednesday. School support workers like educational assistants and early childhood educators were also walking the line in the Avon board.

Tenille Cranston is the chief negotiator for local educational support staff, she says, “In my more than 20 years in the classroom, a lot has changed. Our members are actually getting hurt in the classroom, now more than ever. We need more support, not less.”

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says teachers promised the government their job action wouldn’t affect kids. He says, it is.

“Their job action means kids aren’t getting the preparation they need to write the upcoming EQAO tests. That is an important learning tool that we feel is important.”

Lecce says it will be up to school boards to either delay the EQAO math test until June, or go ahead with it on Monday.

There are no new negotiations planned between the OSSTF and the government.

Multiple boards impacted

A total eight boards across the province are affected in the latest round of rolling strikes.

Despite the strike being conducted by high school teachers, three of the eight boards will see all schools closed due to the impact on support staff as well.

The AMDSB is one of those boards along with the Greater Essex County District School Board and the Algoma District School Board.

High schools will be closed in Peel District School Board, the District School Board of Niagara, Limestone District School Board and Renfrew Country District School Board.

The union, which represents 60,000 teachers and education workers, began one-day walkouts on Dec. 4 with a job action that closed schools across the province.

- With files from CTV London's Justin Zadorsky and The Canadian Press