With another strike looming, local schools boards are getting prepared to close schools and shift to online learning.
Schools set to close on Monday
In a letter to parents on Wednesday, John Howitt, the Director of Education for the Lambton Kent District School Board, said they have been notified that members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1238 will join their colleagues across the province in a legal strike involving a full withdrawal of services in Ontario schools, effective Monday, November 21, 2022 unless there is progress at the central bargaining table with the Ministry of Education and the trustees’ association.
“Student safety is the top priority for the LKDSB,” Howitt said.
“If the strike proceeds, CUPE staff will not report to work. In our schools and across our system, CUPE represents custodians, early childhood educators, educational assistants, secretaries, library and computer technicians and other school-based and central staff members. A full strike would mean none of these important supports for schools would be in place and the LKDSB will not be able to safely operate our schools.”
Howitt added: “If an agreement is not reached, all LKDSB schools will be closed to students on Monday, November 21, 2022.”
Howitt said all students in secondary schools who are enrolled in in-person learning will transition to synchronous teacher-led remote learning on Monday, November 21, 2022 and for the duration of the strike action with a full withdrawal of services.
Howitt said all students in elementary schools who are enrolled in in-person learning will transition to asynchronous learning on Monday, November 21, 2022 and to synchronous learning on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 for the duration of the strike action with a full withdrawal of services.
“Synchronous remote learning includes live, online teacher-led lessons,” Howitt said.
“Students will receive instructions about their transition to synchronous virtual learning as per their typical means of school communication. LKDSB elementary and secondary virtual learning programming will continue as scheduled, as well as off-site and online learning programs.”
Howitt encouraged people to check the LKDSB website up to and including Monday morning for updates regarding whether schools will be closed to students beginning Monday, November 21.
“Please contact the school to discuss any concerns related to your child’s learning, including access to a device or reliable internet,” he said.
“Due to limitations related to the full withdrawal of services by CUPE staff, LKDSB devices may not be available for all students and other arrangements may need to be made to support the continuation of students’ learning.”
Howitt said on Thursday, November 17, students should take home any personal items (e.g. eyeglasses, medications, etc.) or materials needed to participate in synchronous remote learning.
“We appreciate that there may be significant impacts on your family,” Howitt said.
“Families are strongly encouraged to explore alternate child care arrangements in the event a strike occurs. If you have any mental health and well-being concerns about your child, please contact the LKDSB Mental Wellness Team (MentalWellness@lkdsb.net) or contact the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free).”
Howitt added: “LKDSB is hopeful a fair agreement can be reached and the full strike action will be avoided. We will provide an update to families, staff and students as more information becomes available. Visit the LKDSB website for up-to-date information regarding contract negotiations (www.lkdsb.net).”
Scott Johnson, Director of Education for the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, sent a similar letter to parents on Wednesday.
“At St. Clair Catholic CUPE represents custodians, early childhood educators, educational assistants, library and computer technicians, secretaries and some corporate services administrative staff,” Johnson said.
“A full withdrawal of services would mean none of these important supports will be in place and the Board will not be able to safely operate our schools. At this time, the duration of a potential withdrawal of services is not known. However, St. Clair Catholic has plans and supports in place for virtual learning for Grades K-12.”
Johnson said on November 15, 2022 parents received an email from the Board with a link to a survey regarding whether their children required technology for virtual learning.
“However, due to technical issues with one of our vendors, the survey link was not operable for some families,” he said.
“Parents who were unable to complete the survey should ask the classroom teacher to send home any required technology at the end of the day, Thursday, November 17, 2022; or, parents attending a parent-teacher conference, may take the technology home at that time.”
Johnson said on Thursday, November 17, 2022, students will bring home any learning materials required for remote learning, ie., textbooks/musical instruments/technology.
“Personal items, such as eyeglasses, articles of clothing and/or medication should also be brought home at this time,” he said.
“Beginning next week, there will be further opportunities for students/parents who need to access technology devices at the school. However, schools will be closed to visitors on Friday, November 18, 2022, as principals will be leading PD sessions with staff.”
Johnson added: “On Monday, November 21, 2022 – In the event of a full withdrawal of services by CUPE, asynchronous learning opportunities begin for all students. A live Google meet will be arranged. Teachers will provide more information.
Johnson said on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, in the event of a full withdrawal of services by CUPE, synchronous instruction begins.
“The regular school schedule will be maintained,” he said.
“Attendance will be taken as required by Ontario regulation.”
Johnson said in order to provide small group instruction, all Kindergarten classes normally staffed by a classroom teacher and Early Childhood Educator (ECE) will be divided into two groups, with half of the students receiving synchronous instruction in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.
“You will receive further information from your school principal,” Johnson said.
School teams involved with supporting students with special education needs will continue to work together on behalf of children, Johnson added.
“A collaborative approach between Classroom Teachers, Program Resource Teachers and Board Special Education Teams will support student goals outlined in their IEP,” he said.
Parents who require technical support should connect with their classroom teacher or the Help Desk at https://helpdesk.sccdsb.net/, while parents who have children enrolled in child care centres located in the school should speak to the child care provider about delivery of services, Johnson said.
“The St. Clair Catholic District School Board is committed to keeping parents/guardians and staff informed as new information becomes available,” he said.
“Please continue to visit the Board website at https://newsdesk.st-clair.net/ for updates.”
Johnson added: “In the meantime, our prayers go forward for a resolution that is fair and equitable to both parties in the dispute between CUPE education workers and the Ontario government. Should strike action go forward, we will wait in hope for our colleagues to return to their important work, so that together we can support the students and families of St. Clair Catholic in our classrooms.”
Ontario education workers serve five days’ strike notice
On Wednesday, education workers with CUPE gave five days’ notice of a potential province-wide strike.
CUPE officials say their Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) central bargaining committee, negotiating for 55,000 frontline education workers, was able to reach a middle ground with the Ford government and the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) on wages.
Despite that progress, the government refused to invest in the services that students need and parents expect, precipitating this escalation, CUPE officials say.
“From the beginning, we’ve been focused on improved jobs for education workers and improved services for students. For us, there is no one without the other,” said Laura Walton, educational assistant and president of CUPE-OSBCU, in a media release.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that the Ford government categorically refused to put money on the table to give students the type of learning environment they need.”
Walton added: “If this government was serious about their plan to catch up, they’d listen to the workers who do the most to support learners and they’d put an early childhood educator in every kindergarten class and provide more students with the direct support of an educational assistant. We’ve heard from parents desperate for these improvements. We felt their support at our protests across the province. And we’re not going to turn our backs on students, parents, and families.”
CUPE officials say education workers are fighting for guarantees of:
– Enough educational assistants so all students get the supports they need and so schools could stop sending kids home because there isn’t an EA available
– An early childhood educator in every kindergarten classroom so every four- and five-year-old would get the play based learning support that’s especially necessary now after two years of pandemic isolation
– Enough library workers to make sure school libraries are open and reading opportunities are available to kids all the time
– Enough custodians to keep schools clean and enough maintenance workers and tradespeople to begin to tackle the repair backlog
– Adequate staffing of secretaries in school offices and enough lunchroom supervisors to keep students safe.
Minister Lecce responds
Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Education, took to social media to address the situation from the Provincial Government’s perspective on Wednesday.
“Our government fulfilled our end of the deal by putting forward significantly improved offers,” Minister Lecce tweeted.
“CUPE has rejected all of these offers. Ever so casually, they have again put the province on a path to a strike.”
Minister Lecce said they offered to protect the most generous sick leave, pension and health benefit plan in Canada.
“CUPE declined it,” he tweeted.
“We offered to protect funds that have increased staffing levels across the province, funding 1800 education workers. CUPE declined it. We are at the table ready to land a fair deal that invests more in lower income workers & keeps kids in class. It’s time for CUPE to take yes for an answer & cancel the strike. These kids have endured enough of these strikes. 2,246 days out of class to be precise, since 1989.”
We’ll provide more details as it becomes available.
