TDSB schools to be closed for duration of education workers strike
Posted November 2, 2022 9:45 pm.
Last Updated November 2, 2022 10:14 pm.
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) confirmed that its schools would be closed to in-person learning for the duration of the strike by roughly 55,000 education workers, set to commence on Friday.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) gave notice over the weekend that the workers — such as early childhood educators, educational assistants and custodians — would walk off the job Friday, despite looming legislation that would make striking illegal.
Ahead of Wednesday’s announcement, various school boards across the GTA, including the TDSB, announced their intentions to close schools and go virtual on Friday.
In a joint letter to parents and guardians, TDSB’s Director of Education, Colleen Russell-Rawlins, and various associate directors said that as of Friday, all TDSB schools would be closed for in-person learning throughout the duration of the strike, no matter how long.
“Student supervision and safety are our top priorities, and without the important services of nearly 15,000 CUPE employees, we cannot guarantee that our learning environments will remain safe and clean for all students,” the letter reads.
RELATED: What GTA schools are planning ahead of Friday’s strike
“Students will be given work to complete at home independently (no live classroom instruction) for Friday. This work will be provided either electronically (BrightSpace, Google classroom, email, etc.) or via hard copy. Should the job action extend beyond Friday, more information will be shared.”
The TDSB said third-party childcare operators in their schools would be permitted to remain open on Friday.
“We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached before Friday,” the TDSB officials said. “Should the situation change, we will update families as they become available.”
The Ontario government has introduced a bill — expected to pass Thursday — to impose a contract on the education workers and ban them from striking. CUPE said late Wednesday that the Ford government rejected its most recent contract offer.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government “has no choice” but to proceed with the bill because of CUPE’s strike threat.
With files from The Canadian Press
