CUPE WALK-OUT CLOSES SCHOOLS TO STUDENTS AND TEACHING FRIDAY, SAYS TLDSB

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

MUSKOKA — As strike talks continue a confirmed CUPE walk-out Friday means no school for students and classes by teachers.

In a letter today to parents and families, Wes Hahn, TLDSB director of Education, writes the following:

Dear TLDSB families:

On Oct. 31, the government of Ontario announced Bill 28, Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022. Shortly after this release, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced their intent to proceed with a province-wide protest, which means that no CUPE member will be at work on Friday, Nov. 4.

As a result, Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) has no other option but to close all schools to students on that day. The CUPE members at TLDSB are vital to supporting student supervision and safety. Without these individuals, TLDSB cannot safely operate schools for students.

In TLDSB, CUPE members include secretaries, clerks, computer technicians, custodial and maintenance staff, and educational assistants. These individuals are vital to maintaining the safe operation of our buildings and various sites. It is important to note that other school boards across the province may have different or fewer employee groups as part of CUPE, and therefore, may be able to keep their schools open.

Since our communication on Oct. 31, a decision to not proceed with asynchronous learning on Friday has been made to allow our teachers and designated early childhood educators time to prepare for student learning next week. Students are encouraged to work on previously assigned projects, assignments, and independent work on Friday.

We understand that this can be very frustrating for families and hope that a provincial agreement with CUPE is reached very soon. We value our CUPE staff and continue to be hopeful that a resolution is made quickly so that students can be back in class. We will continue to communicate with our families on labour relations updates.

All TLDSB labour updates can be found on the Labour Relations Updates page on the Board’s website.

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