Schools preparing for more remote learning next week as strike continues

Tens of thousands of education workers in Ontario walked off the job Friday despite legislation passed at Queen’s park that made the strike illegal.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 55,000 support workers such as custodians, administrative staff and educational support workers, said they are striking "until further notice.”

On Friday, CUPE’s Laura Walton said the strike would continue into next week as CUPE members picket at MPP offices across the province – meaning school boards have begun announcing plans to extend remote learning into next week.

The planned school closures also impacts extracurricular activates at several schools.

Several school boards in the area that opted to remain open on Friday, such as the Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board, have since announced school closures due to the strike’s expected continuation into next week.

Several local school boards, including Waterloo Region District School Board and Avon Maitland District School Board, do not have CUPE members and will therefore are not impacted.

Below is how each school board is responding to the ongoing walkout, and what measures will be implemented at schools:

WATERLOO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Waterloo Catholic District School Board closed all schools to in-person learning on Friday.

As of Friday at 6 p.m., no further contingency plans for the coming days had been released.

Just of 1,200 of the board’s staff are CUPE members. As a result of the strike, the board closed all elementary and secondary schools, including before and after school programs.

"This decision to close our schools is in keeping with many other Catholic boards across the province that have a large portion of their employee groups represented by CUPE,” the school board said earlier this week in a news release.

The school board said it would pivot to remote learning, and began handing out devices to students on Wednesday.

Read the board's full statement on the strike here.

WELLINGTON CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

The Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) will be moving to remote learning next week.

“At the present time, we anticipate strike action to continue into next week and will not be able to maintain schools to a level required without our CUPE custodians and maintenance staff,” the school board said on Friday. “As a result, all CUPE-staffed schools in Guelph, Erin and Rockwood will be closed to in-person learning on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. St. John Bosco Secondary School and non-CUPE staffed schools will remain open.”

The decision to move to online learning comes after the school board opted to keep schools open for the first day of strike action on Friday.

The school board said before and after school programs at CUPE-staffed schools will be closed and all in-person extracurricular activities and athletic events taking place in schools will be postponed or cancelled.

The school board said CUPE represents approximately 60 custodians and maintenance workers, who operate in all schools with the exception of four schools in Wellington County.

Read the board's full statement on the strike here.

HURON-PERTH CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

After pivoting to remote learning on Friday, the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board is advising parents to prepare for remote learning to continue.

Parents and caregivers are being advised to prepare for remote learning on Nov. 7.

“There is no indication that negotiations are planned over the weekend and no clarity of when the withdrawal of services will terminate. It would be prudent to prepare for several more days of remote learning,” the school board said on Friday afternoon.

Read the board's full statement on the strike here.

UPPER GRAND DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

After remaining open on Friday, the Upper Grand District School Board said it would being a staggered shift to remote learning next week.

All schools will be open to in-person learning on Monday, however, starting Tuesday, a shift to remote learning will begin.

According to the school board, starting Tuesday all secondary school students will shift to remote learning. On Wednesday, all elementary school students will shift to remote learning.

The board said roughly 240 of its employees, including custodial and maintenance staff as well as adult ESL instructors, are CUPE members.

”Please keep in mind that the status of our schools will continue to be monitored closely and this plan may have to change, depending upon unforeseen circumstances. If for whatever reason we are unable to keep to the schedule above, and have to shift schools to remote learning earlier than stated, we will communicate this update as soon as possible,” the school board said on Friday.

The school board said it is committed to providing an update on Nov. 9 with details on the plan for schools the following week.

Read the board's full statement on the strike here.

CONSEIL SCOLAIRE CATHOLIQUE MONAVENIR

Despite most school boards in Ontario planning to suspend in-person learning for the day due to a planned walkout by the province’s 55,000 education workers, students at Conseil Scolaire Viamonde are being advised to report to class Friday.

In an email sent late Thursday afternoon, Viamonde’s Director of Education Michel Laverdière advised parents and guardians that schools will be open tomorrow as usual.

The note, written in French, indicated that even with the expected absence of custodians and other support staff, the French public school board in central and southwestern Ontario has determined it is in a position to welcome students to class, at least for the day on Friday.

The board went on to say that it will make a decision over the weekend about what will happen next week as the situation evolves between education workers and the province.

GRAND ERIE DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

After closing schools on Friday, the Grand Erie District School Board said schools will remain closed.

“In the event that the political demonstration continues Monday and through the week, schools will remain closed to students,” the school board said on Friday. “This does not impact ongoing virtual or e-learning instruction.”

All extracurricular activities, field trips and sports and athletics have been postponed. All school-based before and after-care programs will be closed.

In Grand Erie, CUPE education workers make up 920 members of staff, including educational assistants, communicative disorder assistants, food technicians, clerical, library technicians, information technology staff and custodial and maintenance staff.

“Without the 920 CUPE workers in our schools and facilities, we cannot ensure safe conditions for students. We cannot be sure of supervision and support for all students, safe operation of water and sanitation systems, or clean conditions in our schools,” the school board said.

Read the board's full statement on the strike here.

With files from CTV Toronto.