With every passing day, students and parents in Nova Scotia are seeing new effects of the teachers work-to-rule, recently the milk program has cancelled for some younger students.

Cartons of cold milk, delivered to students daily at a heavily discounted price, have been a staple in Nova Scotia schools since the early 1970s.

Parent Tony Edwards was surprised to learn his daughter hasn't had milk at school all week.

“What they told us, is that the teachers union said they can't do it,” says Edwards. “What about the people who can't afford to give their kids a decent meal, and they rely on this?”

While teachers work-to-rule, they're not collecting money at school, and at Beaverbank-Kinsac Elementary that includes milk money.

Edwards says the teacher’s job action should not be affecting students' health.

“If you've got problems, just deal with them, but not at the kid’s expense.”

A spokesperson for Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia says the job action is affecting the school milk program differently at different schools, and it is continuing in some places.

In a statement Friday, the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture said it's disappointed the milk program is being suspended in some schools.

Meanwhile, at the high school level, concerns are turning to upcoming exams. Students at several Halifax-area schools say they're hearing exam exemptions are cancelled this year.

“We didn't want them to go on strike or whatever, so I don't think it's fair,” says grade 12 student Chumlee Graves-Smith.

“I've missed five classes, which is the maximum, but I’ve gone to school when I was sick so I could get my exemption,” says grade 12 student Jensen Ottosen.

The school board says it's up to individual schools to deal with exemptions.

One parent CTV News spoke with Friday said she's been told the schools will make a decision about exam exemptions next week, with exams scheduled to start on Jan. 24.

Students also worry their proms and graduations may be at risk at some schools due to a lack of teacher planning time. Even those on student council say they don't know for sure.

“Honestly, we don't know anything, like we've tried talking to like guidance counsellors and stuff but they don't know either,” says grade 11 student Kate Walsh.

“What we're hearing is a lot of rumours, we don't actually know what's happening,” says grade 12 student Daniel Neago.

CTV News’s calls to principals were not returned on Friday and no one from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union was made available for comment.

The union and the government will return to the negotiating table next week.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sarah Ritchie