No more extra-curricular activities for public elementary school students

Ontario’s public elementary school teachers have made good on a threat they made last week, withdrawing from all voluntary extracurricular activities.

It’s Phase 3 of a job action by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) that already includes no parent-teacher meetings and no class trips.

As of Wednesday, teachers will no longer supervise or coach any activities on any date, not just on so-called ‘Wynne Wednesdays.’

ETFO says it’s a way of putting pressure on the government and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association to return to the bargaining table.

The province has reached deals with the other major teachers’ unions, but talks with ETFO are stalled.

If the work-to-rule campaign continues, teachers and some support staff will have their pay docked, Premier Kathleen Wynne said.

She has given the teachers until Nov. 1 to stop the job action, or face sanctions.

ETFO and support staff represented by CUPE and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation have been without contracts for 14 months.

The labour action is having another impact: no report cards.

The Peel District School Board (PDSB) said Wednesday that it is “postponing” its elementary progress reports. The Board added that many other public school boards in the province are also reconsidering report cards.

“This means that if the situation is resolved within the next few weeks, school staff will provide progress reports for students. However, if the job action continues beyond that, there may not be sufficient time,” the PDSB said in a statement.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

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