News coverage of the Thunberg-inspired student climate strikes in Australia in 2019 and 2020 framed school leaders 'in conversation' with politicians, education system spokespeople, political pundits, the public and student activists. While previous scholarly interest has mainly focused on the student protestors, we examine the intertextual framing of school leaders in the news. While our analysis affirms previous understandings of the politically divided nature of climate change communication, it also reveals that school leaders' agency was constrained by the discursive effects of news reporting. Moreover, the antagonisms and polarisation of views in news and commentary created a circulation of affective intensities that amplified the challenges for principals. We assess the implications of these framings and their effects on the agency of school leaders. We conclude by arguing for more proactive leadership and advocacy by school leaders to support the participation of students in politics and activism for climate justice.