February 10, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

St. Clair Catholic has been notified that the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), which represents our elementary and secondary teachers, will escalate the terms of the legal Administrative Job Action (work-to-rule) which was announced in January.  This new heightened job action begins Tuesday, February 11, 2020.   

Some of these new sanctions may have a significant impact on school operations.  They include, but are not limited to:

·         Withdrawal of ‘on-calls’ to cover teacher absences.

·         Refusal to rearrange schedules to cover absent teachers.

·         Refusal to accept delegation of authority to cover for absent Principals/Vice-Principals.

·         Refusal to supervise students dispersed from another classroom where a teacher is absent.

It is important to note that these heightened sanctions coincide with a province-wide shortage of available supply staff to cover vacancies.  As a result, we can expect some possible disruptions to the operation of schools which may include:

• Inability to provide teacher coverage for absent teachers: 
  • At the elementary level this may mean that available administrators, or other non-teaching personnel, will cover classes to provide adequate supervision. 
  • At the secondary level some classes may need to assemble in other areas for independent study. 
  • At St. Clair Catholic, teacher-coaches are usually covered by a combination of on-calls and occasional teachers when they are coaching.  As a result of an inability to use on-calls to cover absent teachers, along with a potential shortage of occasional teachers, some games may be re-scheduled or canceled.

Parents/guardians of secondary school students will have already received student Term 1 report cards.  In elementary schools, report cards are being sent home with marks only (Grade 1-8) and a brief communication of learning for Kindergarten students.  We all recognize the importance of parent/teacher dialogue in supporting student achievement; therefore, at St. Clair Catholic, parent/teacher interviews and meetings to support students with special needs will proceed as originally planned. 

While significant contingency planning is occurring, there are several unknowns about how these sanctions may affect our day-to-day operations.   We regret any alteration of students' typical day and school experience; however, the Board has a responsibility to prioritize student safety and supervision during any job action.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we navigate this period of labour uncertainty together.  Please continue to check the Board website at www.st-clair.net for labour relations updates.

Sincerely,

Deb Crawford

Director of Education