With English public high school teachers going on a one-day strike to back contract demands next Wed., Dec. 4, District School Board Ontario Northeast is closing its high schools and cancelling elementary classes. Elementary teachers are, however, being told they’re expected to cross any picket lines they might encounter, and report for professional development work.
DSB One chairman Bob Brush says it’s because 185 workers represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation work in the elementary schools. They are child and youth workers, early childhood educators, education assistants and indigenous student advisers. Brush says because of a potential safety issue, the decision was made to cancel classes for the day.
