Toronto public schools will close next week if no deal reached between CUPE, government

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said its public schools would again be closed to in-person learning next week if a new deal is not reached with Ontario education workers and the province by Nov. 21.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced Wednesday that it filed a five-day strike notice, saying that after two full days of bargaining, talks with the province have broken down once more.

Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the TDSB’s Director of Education and TDSB Chair Rachel Chernos Lin, confirmed in a joint statement to parents and guardians that there is hope both sides will end the lingering stalemate by Monday.

“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,” Russell-Rawlins and Lin wrote, citing the critical service that would not proceed should strike action continue.

This includes caretaking services, including cleaning schools, no staff in school offices ensuring the safe arrival of students, and no Designated Early Childhood Educators in kindergarten classrooms, among others.

“We know this is a challenging time for families, and we continue to work on plans to ensure learning continues and students are supported during any potential disruption. We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached before Monday,” the TDSB said.

Should the strike begin on Monday, the TDSB said synchronous learning would start for students who can connect online immediately, noting that schools would distribute devices to students “as soon as possible.”

However, the TDSB says this could take a few days and extend beyond Monday, in which case parents and guardians would be contacted by the school for further instruction.

Toronto Catholic schools to close should strike linger into next week

The TDSB said all elementary, secondary and adult students currently learning virtually would continue “with some adjustments” should the strike occur on Monday.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) also updated parents and guardians with its contingency plans for students in light of another walkout next week.

TCDSB Director of Education, Dr. Brendan Browne, and Chair Angela Kennedy said that the Catholic school board understands the news is difficult for staff, students, and families.

“To ensure the health, welfare, and safety of our staff and students in the event of a full withdrawal of CUPE services, all TCDSB schools will be closed for in-person learning starting Monday, Nov. 21, and students will have access to remote synchronous learning, during this time,” the TCDSB said.

“We recognize that some students still have TCDSB-loaned devices. For students who may not have such a device or cannot access a personal device at home for remote synchronous learning, please connect with your principal for more information.”

The TCDSB says further information will be shared regarding childcare services.

On Wednesday, CUPE said it is still looking for guarantees of higher staffing levels for educational assistants, librarians, custodians and secretaries, and an early childhood educator in every kindergarten classroom and not just classes that have more than 16 students.