Rotating Strikes Planned For Catholic School Board

Parents today received a letter from Pat Daly Director of education for HCDSB informing rotating strikes planned in addition to the February 21 strikes being held by unions. The letter states... "Dear Parents and Guardians, I am writing to share a recent announcement and more information regarding the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) job action. OECTA announced today that it will move to a series of rotating strikes across the province next week, if a provincial settlement is not reached by then. This means that OECTA will potentially hold a one-day, full withdrawal of services in all HCDSB schools on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, unless a strike is averted. OECTA represents all of our HCDSB elementary and secondary school teachers. A full withdrawal of services would mean that no instruction would take place in any of our classrooms, posing significant student supervision challenges that would threaten the safety of our elementary and secondary students. In light of these safety concerns, all HCDSB schools will be closed to students on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, if a provincial settlement is not reached. NOTE: The potential walkout on February 25th is in addition to the one-day walkout that is scheduled to take place across the province on Friday, February 21, 2020. In Summary What will be CANCELLED or CLOSED What will PROCEED or remain OPEN All HCDSB elementary and secondary schools will be CLOSED to students. All Before and After School Programs will be CANCELLED. Credit courses offered at ALL Thomas Merton Centre for Continuing Education locations will be CANCELLED. Childcare centres will remain OPEN as they run independently from our schools. Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes taking place at ALL Thomas Merton Centre locations will PROCEED as scheduled. International Languages Elementary (ILE) classes will PROCEED as scheduled. Community use of schools will PROCEED as scheduled in all HCDSB schools. NOTE: Many of our extended day providers will offer a full-day program. Parents are encouraged to contact the extended day provider at their child’s school about program offerings. Further Updates We will continue to share updates and information as they become available, as follows: • An email will be sent to all HCDSB parents • A notice will be posted on our HCDSB website – bit.ly/HCDSB-LabourUpdates • A notice will be shared through Twitter @HCDSB We regret any disruption to student learning and inconvenience to families that will result from this job action. We value our staff and respect that job sanctions are a legal part of the collective bargaining process. Our actions during any sanctions remain focused on the safety and well-being of the students entrusted to our care. We remain hopeful that a new provincial agreement will soon be reached with our OECTA staff. Sincerely, Pat Daly Director of Education"