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Simcoe County elementary school teachers pull out of extracurriculars

Simcoe County's priority during any job action is the safety of its students, says the board. Find out about the board's plan in the following update.
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NEWS RELEASE

SIMCOE COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

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Labour Situation Updates

Our priority during any job action is the safety of our students.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on the status of negotiations and our schools whenever possible.

As a board, we respect all of our staff members and value their work. We remain committed to reaching fair, negotiated agreements with all of our employee groups. 

Elementary 

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) began provincial job action in the form of a work-to-rule campaign in May 2015. On September 21, they implemented Phase 3 of their work-to-rule job action.

All SCDSB schools remain open for student learning, and all Before and After School Programs are operating as regularly scheduled.   

On October 22, 2015, ETFO announced an update to Phase 3 of their work-to-rule job action. As of October 28, 2015, elementary teachers will no longer participate in any extracurricular activities.   

Work-to-rule means partial withdrawal of service.

Teachers will not participate in field trips, fundraising activities, ‘Meet the teacher’ nights outside the instructional day or professional development related to board or ministry initiatives.

They will not communicate electronically with school administration outside the instructional day, collect or distribute to students any paperwork required by the school or school board, or update classroom communications tools including class websites and blogs.

They will not prepare report card comments, complete or package fall Progress Reports.

Teachers will continue to teach and provide extra help to students, maintain contact with parents during the instructional day and provide scheduled supervisory duties.   

In addition, ETFO has informed teachers that unless significant progress is made at the provincial level, they may move into Phase 4 of the strike action. This means that during the month of October, elementary teachers may begin rotating one-day strikes.   

If rotating strikes are announced, we will provide updates and information through our website, social media channels and through our schools.

Cupe

The collective bargaining agreement between the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) expired on August 31, 2014. In the SCDSB, CUPE represents our custodial and maintenance staff.   

On September 29, 2015, CUPE workers began to implement Phase 2 of the work-to-rule campaign. Parents and the public may see a difference in the cleanliness and upkeep of their schools, but CUPE has committed to ensuring student safety.    

Work-to-rule means partial withdrawal of service. In the SCDSB, this withdrawal of services may include refraining from sweeping entrances and hallways, outdoor maintenance such as cutting grass, minor maintenance within buildings and cleaning chalkboards and whiteboards.   

In some instances, community use of schools and permits may be impacted by the CUPE job action. More information is available on our Community Use of Schools page. 

Unionized Groups in the SCDSB
Unionized groups in the SCDSB include:

CUPE – custodial/maintenance staff - http://cupe.ca
ETFO – permanent elementary teachers, occasional elementary teachers, Designated Early Childhood
Educators - www.etfo.ca (provincial) and www.scetf.org (local)
OSSTF – permanent secondary teachers, occasional secondary teachers, Continuing Education
Instructors - www.osstf.on.ca (provincial) and www.d17.osstf.ca (local)
OPSEU – Support staff (Educational Assistants, secretarial) - www.opseu.org 

Keeping SCDSB School Communities Informed 

Labour situation updates are issued through the following SCDSB communications avenues: 

Website:       www.scdsb.on.ca 
Facebook:    www.facebook.com/SCDSB 
Twitter:        @SCDSB_Schools  

For information about the labour situation across the province, visit the Ontario Public School Boards' Association's Labour Relations page.

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