South Jersey public high school students were among the thousands statewide who staged walkouts Tuesday to protest Gov. Chris Christie's school aid cuts a week after voters rejected a majority of district spending plans for the coming year.

The protests, initially organized on Facebook by a college student who grew up in the state, were generally held in districts where school budgets were defeated. Some students were arrested in Pemberton Township and a school was locked down in Monroe, but the protests were mostly low-key.

At Eastern High School in Voorhees, students began filtering out of the school into the front parking lot at 8:45 a.m. By 10 a.m., the stream was steady as teens protested the cutting of 33 staff members, including 24 teachers, in Eastern's failed budget. Also gone are 21 clubs and multiple sports programs -- with more cuts possible as the budget is reviewed by the governing bodies of Voorhees, Gibbsboro and Berlin Borough.

Sophomore Cinasia Hill, 15, of Voorhees, said she was protesting against the budget cuts and exercising her freedom of speech.Sophomore Jake DeMarino, 16, of Gibbsboro, lifted his T-shirt to show "Save Teachers" boldly painted in purple. Names of teachers who were to be cut adorned his back and arms.

DeMarino said he was particularly upset about English teacher Lauren Ferrara, who also coaches the girls' lacrosse team. Junior Jess Kirshner, 17, wearing her Eastern lacrosse T-shirt, agreed. "Ms. Ferrara's been nothing but dedicated. This was her life, and they took it away from her," Kirshner said. Anthony Micciche, 17, a junior from Voorhees, said he opposed cuts in athletics.

"I'm out here to support freshman sports. They should keep them," he said. Senior Genevieve Okoro, 18, of Gibbsboro, said parents should be concerned about the budget cuts. "I do want to save all the wonderful teachers I've had. I'll be graduating in June, but I'm concerned about my siblings. The quality of education will be greatly affected," Okoro said.