October 8th, 2015
Dear Parents/Guardians of Secondary Students:
We wanted to provide you with an update about job action being taken by Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (OSSTF) Support Staff, which includes secretaries, custodians and supervision monitors in schools as well as some central staff.
Currently, OSSTF Support Staff are in ongoing province-wide labour negotiations with the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA). As a result, members of OSSTF Support Staff are taking part in a legal job action that will impact our schools.
It’s important to note that this does not include teachers, 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, there may be situations where our usual service may be delayed or limited.
We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached between unions, the Government of Ontario and OPSBA in the very near future. Please continue to monitor our website at www.wrdsb.ca/labour for updated information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
John Bryant
Director of Education
Kathleen Woodcock
Chairperson of the Board
Categories: Broadcast-Secondary · Labour
