April 21st, 2015

Potential job action by Waterloo Region District School Board secondary teachers.

The purpose of this letter is to update Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) families on the status of labour negotiations with its secondary teachers. We know that, as parents, it’s important for you to know how this situation may affect your daughter and/or son.

Our concern is with the safety, success and well-­‐being of our students. We want you to clearly understand the status of our schools if there is a full withdrawal of services in WRDSB secondary schools. We want to make sure families have as much notice as possible.

The Ontario Labour Relations Act requires the receipt of a No Board Report before the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation can announce legal strike action. As per the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, school boards must be given five days’ notice before any strike action can be taken. As such, the earliest WRDSB secondary teachers may be on strike is May 4, 2015. Similar job action is being taken in six other school boards across Ontario—Durham, Halton, Lakehead, Ottawa-­‐Carleton, Peel, and Rainbow Districts.

If a full withdrawal of services occurs, all WRDSB secondary schools will be closed to students. This means:

  • All instructional programs for grade 9 to 12 students will be cancelled.  
  • Extracurricular activities, field trips and school events will be cancelled.
  • Buses for secondary students will not operate.  
  • Buses will continue their routes for elementary students only.
  • Teachers may be picketing outside Waterloo Region District School Board secondary schools and the Education Centre. Picketing is not expected to take place outside our elementary schools.  

If you have questions, or want to know what is happening in Waterloo Region District School Board schools related to negotiations:

  • Look for updates on social media—follow @WRDSB on Twitter.
  • Visit the Waterloo Region District School Board website at www.wrdsb.ca/labour.
  • Visit your local WRDSB secondary school website.

Our priority during any job action is the safety and well-­‐being of our students. We will continue to monitor the situation and its impact on Waterloo Region District School Board students. We are committed to keeping you informed and will update www.wrdsb.ca/labour and communicate with you directly, as the situation changes.

As a board, we respect our secondary teachers and value their work with students. We remain committed to reaching fair, negotiated agreements with all of our employee groups. Thank you for your patience, support and understanding.

John Bryant,
Director of Education

Kathleen Woodcock
Chair of the Board