October 6th, 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians of Elementary Students:
We wanted to provide you with an update about job action being taken by teaching staff represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) Support Staff, which includes secretaries, custodians & supervision monitors in schools as well as some central staff.
Currently, both unions are in ongoing province-wide labour negotiations with the Government of Ontario and public school boards. As a result, members of ETFO and OSSTF Support Staff are taking part in a legal job action that will impact our schools.
It’s important to note that schools remain open and instructional programs continue to run. During these extraordinary times in our schools, principals and vice-principals are working together with staff to maintain a caring and positive school environment. As always, student safety and learning remain the top priorities of all WRDSB staff, and superintendents are in regular contact with our schools to assess any concerns.
Our principals and vice-principals have done and will continue to do their very best to maintain school activities and we thank them for their work. Right now they are being directed to focus on three key areas:
- Keeping schools open
- Making sure students and staff are safe
- Ensuring student learning continues
Most of the job action has not had a direct impact on students and families, as principals and vice-principals have taken on additional tasks.
During this job action, however, parents/guardians may experience some delays in response when requesting access to the front door of the school via the safe entry buzzer system. We ask for your patience and understanding in these instances. We also request that, should your child arrive at school late or mid-day, that you accompany your child to the front door and wait with him/her until he/she gains entry.
We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached between unions, the Government of Ontario and public school boards in the very near future. Please continue to monitor our website at www.wrdsb.ca/labour for updated information as it becomes available.
John Bryant
Director of Education
Kathleen Woodcock
Chairperson of the Board
Categories: Broadcast-Elementary · Labour