Officials with the Waterloo Region District School Board say talks with the union representing the board’s high school teachers have not broken off at any point – which has them questioning why the union ensured the ability to be in a legal strike position by early May.

“We’re not really sure why it has come to this,” Marty Deacon, the board’s executive officer of communications and engagement, told CTV News.

“We are still at the table, and we’re negotiating and progressing.”

Provincial legislation introduced since the last round of bargaining means issues like salaries and sick leave are being negotiated with the province, with other matters handled at a school board level.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation did at one point walk away from provincial bargaining, but has since returned to the table.

OSSTF-represented employees at the Whitby-area Durham Region District School Board began a strike on Monday.

Strike dates have also been set in the Sudbury and Mississauga areas.

Education minister Liz Sandals has claimed to be “perplexed” as to what happened in contract talks to prompt those decisions.

“Obviously there are local issues or presumably they wouldn’t be on strike, but (those haven’t) been clearly identified,” she said Tuesday.

No strike action has been taken in Waterloo Region, although a ‘no board’ report has been issued – suggesting a breakdown in talks, and allowing a strike or lockout to occur anytime after May 2.

Given May 2 is a Saturday, officials on both sides say no action will be taken until May 4.

“We have not yet set an official strike date,” local OSSTF president Sherry Freund told CTV News in an email.

“We are still negotiating and hopeful a fair settlement can be reached.”

Tuesday, the WRDSB sent high school students home with a letter to their parents outlining what would happen if a strike were to occur.

According to the letter, all classes, extracurricular activities and school events would be cancelled.

“We have a team looking at all the possible scenarios,” Deacon said.

No strike deadlines have been set in talks with teachers represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario anywhere in the province, even though those discussions are said to be at an impasse.

With files from The Canadian Press