When students return to school next week, will it be under the continued threat of labour uncertainty?

Likely not for public high school students, or Catholic students.

Unions representing teachers in both of those streams have reached tentative deals with the province.

Negotiations are still ongoing on the local level, and the tentative deals must still be ratified, but all parties seem optimistic there will be no further hurdles.

“We’re looking at all systems go for the first day of school,” John Shewchuk, the chief managing officer of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, said in an interview.

It’s a slightly different story for public elementary students.

Talks between the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the province only resumed Tuesday, following a summer break.

Greg Weiler, the head of ETFO’s Waterloo Region chapter, said Wednesday that the talks were continuing.

Teachers belonging to ETFO have already announced plans to increase their work-to-rule campaign once school resumes.

As of Sept. 8, they won’t be participating in field trips of fundraising activities, collect money from students or respond to electronic messages from principals or vice-principals outside of teaching hours.

But that doesn’t mean they’re not doing anything.

At Mary Johnston Public School in Waterloo, principal Helmut Tinnes says he’s seen teachers filtering in and out of the building all week long.

“Teachers are coming into the school (and) getting their classrooms ready to go,” he said.

“School’s going to be fine. We’re going to be starting off just like any other year.”