ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS CLOSED TUESDAY FEB. 11 FOR TEACHER STRIKE

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

MUSKOKA — Elementary students and their parents will have to fend for themselves again tomorrow.

“Please do not put your elementary TLDSB child on the bus on Tuesday,” advises the local school board on its website and social media platforms.

Five days after last Thursday’s information picket, teachers will be back on the picket line around Muskoka’s grade schools.

This is the fourth time this school year for the strike, as teaching unions grapple with the province over a new contract.

“As of today (Monday, Feb. 10), an agreement has not yet been reached between the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the province and so Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) teachers and designated early childhood educator (DEC) staff will be on strike on Tuesday, Feb. 11,” says the board in a release to start the week today.

All elementary schools will be closed on Tuesday.

Secondary schools will remain open.

Day cares, before and after school programs, and community use of school after-hours programs, are not affected by the strike.

Bus transportation will not be provided to TLDSB elementary students on Tuesday. TLDSB does provide bussing to Catholic schools in Muskoka and in the City of Kawartha Lakes, and so buses will still be running.

Please do not put your elementary TLDSB child on the bus on Tuesday.

See related story, comments, audio and video from teachers on the pickeet line last Thursday:

TEACHERS BACK ON JOB AFTER INFORMATION PICKET

There is financial support available to parents of eligible children for each day of school that is missed due to labour disruption.

Parents and guardians of TLDSB students are asked to visit the Ministry of Education website at www.Ontario.ca/SupportForParents or the dedicated Support for Parents Helpline at 888-444-3770.

Updates will be provided to you as more information becomes available.

To find out the status of labour action in TLDSB continue to visit MuskokaTODAY.com for tldsb.ca/labour-updates/.

Support for Parents Initiative

There is financial support available to parents of eligible children for each day of school that is missed due to labour disruption.

Parent and guardians of TLDSB are also asked to review the Support for Parents FAQ Document from the Government.

They say if you have further questions, visit the Ministry of Education website at www.Ontario.ca/SupportForParents or the dedicated Support for Parents Helpline at 888-444-3770.

To stay connected:

Want to keep our students, parents, and school communities informed. We will release labour information updates through the following channels:

Website: www.tldsb.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TLDSB
Twitter: @TLDSB

And parents can also sign-up for the PeachJar – e-Flyer distribution system.

Click on the PeachJar button on the homepage of your school website.

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

Teachers bundled up outside GPS last Thursday morning as they walked the picket lines to draw attention to their labour strife with the province.