Student attendance was adversely affected across Bermuda’s schools owing to island-wide work stoppages yesterday despite all schools remaining open.

Yesterday marked the second day of stoppages by Civil Service workers in protest against the Bermuda Government’s Pathways to Status policy that would see Bermudian status granted to long-term residents.

It was unclear whether teachers would be walking out but the Bermuda Union of Teachers released a statement advising its members: “As citizens of this great island, on the matter of Immigration Reform, we urge you to let your conscience be your guide.”

Opposition leader Marc Bean had put out a statement urging people to get their children and grandchildren involved in the protest action as their future was at stake.

CedarBridge Academy was open as normal yet as of period one only 150 of the school’s 580 students were in attendance.

The school informed parents via its Facebook page on Sunday: “Good morning parents and supporters. Government has advised that buses will not be running tomorrow. CedarBridge will be open. If your child is unable to attend school please call the school.”

Student numbers were also down at Berkeley Institute owing to the lack of public transportation. Principal Phyllis Curtis-Tweed said: “All the teachers are in as normal but the students are hampered I think by lack of public transportation. That is the real issue we are seeing. We have seen some students trickling in — attendance has been adversely impacted by the lack of transport but school is open as normal.

“I am writing a note to parents now to let them know that we are open for business. It is probably a bit confusing because they don’t know what is going to happen. Friday was awkward because we didn’t know what teachers would do and some of them also rely on public transportation. Some people were late. It has had a deleterious impact on people’s perception of whether or not school is open. For people who have to come from St David’s, St George’s, Somerset or any parts further out — having no transportation makes it kind of difficult.”

The message was sent to parents via social media saying: “The current withdrawal of labour has inhibited student attendance to school due to the lack of public transportation. Please be aware that most teachers are present. We are finding that some students are contacting parents via mobile phone on the pretext that teachers are not here. Teachers are here but there are few students.

“In actuality, students are responding to the fact that few of their peers may be in class. This is an unusual circumstance but it provides a great opportunity for students to have one-on-one instruction with teachers and to catch up on any missing assignments. Teachers are present and school is in session.

“Please make arrangements to send your students to school if at all possible and allow them to remain in class.”

PTA secretary at Gilbert Institute Suzanne DeCouto said: “Today was fine but on Friday we didn’t know — there was just speculation. Then the unions put something out saying leave it to the teachers’ conscience we all thought, OK, what does that mean? Thankfully, all the teachers did come to school and there were no problems.

“Some of the children came in earlier and it was deserted they might have left thinking it was closed but then they came back.”

Gilbert Institute parents had to be called to the rescue during Friday’s stoppages because students who had been on a field trip to City Hall could not get back to school.

Ms DeCouto added: “We were supposed to come back on the buses but of course we couldn’t do that so we had to get the parents to come and pick the children up and bring them back to school here in Paget. There was a class of 13 children that needed to get back.”

The Bermuda School Sports Federation along with the Department of Education announced that the 2016 Bermuda School Sports Federation Primary School Zone track and field meets would go ahead as scheduled yesterday for the west and west central zones, and today for the east and east central zones. Both are scheduled to start at 9.35am.

The 2016 Middle and Senior School Basketball playoffs will also start as scheduled.

Many students were seen on the grounds of the House of Assembly including primary and preschoolers.