… even if the teacher’s action tomorrow is declared illegal, do NOT reverse yesterday’s decision to close all elementary schools. And here is why:
- Student safety – if told to go to work as usual or face consequences, many teachers will NOT and there is no way to anticipate how many, where and in which grades. How can a school’s senior staff plan for this? They can’t. And student safety may be put at risk… not at all intentionally by the teachers, but as an indirect consequence of choosing to keep the schools open under unsure staffing levels. The TDSB is keeping their schools closed regardless of the outcome of today’s OLB decision:
Meanwhile, the 474 elementary and junior-high schools run by the Toronto District School Board will be closed Friday even if the government is able to a prevent the walkout by teachers.
Even if teachers are forced back to work, there is no way to know exactly how many staff members will be able to come to work, according to a TDSB spokeswoman.
“We can’t ensure that there’s enough adult supervision at the school to make it a safe environment,” said Shari Schwartz-Maltz.
- I cannot picture a more poisoned workplace than an Ontario elementary school tomorrow if the teachers are forced to abandon their one-day strike action. Strong union supporters will clash with those who are lukewarm. Many will be very angry and I don’t want my kids to walk into a hornet nest!
- Opening the schools will make an already bad situation even worse for some families. It is bad enough that little notice was given of this action and many parents were forced to scramble. But if families do not find out until 8 pm tonight (as we have been told by the OCDSB), then there be even MORE scrambling to contact alternate care providers. And what about those providers? How can they staff their operations with this uncertainty! I know that many parents are not as fortunate as my wife and I who can take (our quickly dwindling) annual leave to cover off things like these, but many are not as lucky.
Ya know, folks, in my life I have seldom seen such a sequence of utterly stupid decisions-making. Both the Ontario government and the teachers unions have shown such awful judgement on each step of this trek into Stupidville! It truly boggles the mind.
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