March 1. 2012
Teacher Strike March 5 to 7, 2012
On Thursday March 1, 2012 the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) served notice that teachers across BC will be on strike from Monday March 5 through Wednesday March 7. This full withdrawal of services by teachers has been authorized by the Labour Relations Board (LRB) as part of the provincial collective bargaining process. The school district will respect this legal action. The LRB has ruled that teachers are not to set up picket lines, and that all other employees are expected to go to work.
During the strike schools will be open to look after children who show up, but without teachers no instruction will be occurring. We are asking parents to keep children home on March 6 and 7 as we will only have administration and support staff in attendance so we cannot guarantee complete supervision and safety. Note that March 5 is a previously scheduled non-instructional (Prod D) day.
Grade 12s: We are concerned about loss of learning time for all students, but particularly for students in grade 12. As such, we are inviting all grade 12 students to attend school on March 6 and 7. We will arrange for support staff to supervise self-directed study sessions.
Please note that the government is expected to pass Bill 22 into law as early as Tuesday March 6. If so, job action would become illegal and the strike may not be in effect on Wednesday, March 7. Please stay tuned to this website and media reports for updates.
Keven Elder
Superintendent