School District 27 superintendent Diane Wright is advising parents not to send their children to school during the teacher strike scheduled for this coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Wright says the school buses will not be running. Principals and vice-principals will supervise students who do attend school but normal instruction will not take place.
While a Labour Relations Board ruling prevents teachers from setting up picket lines, Wright notes teachers will be officially on strike and it is not known how many support staff will come into the schools to assist with supervision.
“This is uncharted territory for us,” Wright says. “I cannot anticipate how many of our support staff will be on site Monday.”
For liability reasons Wright says parents are not permitted to assist the administrators in supervising students.
A Labour Relations Board ruling earlier this week allowed the teachers to take three days of consecutive strike action, followed by one day a week thereafter. Those conditions may change if Bill 22 introduced by Education Minister George Abbott passes in the legislature.
In a press release Thursday, Abbott and Premier Christy Clark would not specify how long the government would wait before passing Bill 22 but said it likely wouldn’t be in time to avert the strike.
Joan Erb, Cariboo Chilcotin Teachers Association president, says it is highly unlikely that the strike can be averted.
Thursday morning B.C. Teachers Federation president Susan Lambert said the 75 per cent teacher voter turnout and 87 per cent yes vote to strike demonstrates to the provincial government that “bullying legislation like Bill 22 will not fix a broken relationship.”
Erb says: “There should be no surprise that teachers are taking action on Monday, March 5. After over 80 bargaining sessions and no progress and the introduction of Bill C-22 which again strips our collective agreement of basic rights such as seniority, teachers are demanding respect.”
She says teachers will be participating in a professional development day scheduled for today, Friday, March 2 and many of them will attend the conference with Dr. Martin Brokenleg at TRU.
Wright has written a letter to parents which appears on the district website and asks parents not to send their children to school during the strike. She also asks parents to check www.sd27.bc.ca for the latest information (in case the strike is averted at the last minute), and listen to the radio on school mornings for announcements.
She says the day-care centres currently in operation in school district facilities will continue to operate as usual. She says the Ready, Set, Learn and StrongStart programs may continue as parents attend with their child, and teachers do not deliver these programs. But she asks that parents call the school to see if the program will be running.
She says other activities offered by organizations and user groups will continue.
“I want to acknowledge the respectful working relationships all our staff, parents and students have maintained throughout this school year,” Wright says in her letter to parents. “Your children are receiving a solid education in a safe learning environment. Finally, thank you for your patience and consideration during this difficult time.”