Some Hamilton students will not be getting report cards
Published January 23, 2020 at 1:20 am
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), told parents Wednesday (Jan.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), told parents Wednesday (Jan. 22) that elementary teachers will not be handing out term one report cards issued this year due to labour action.
In a letter to parents, the board says that “labour actions by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) are having a variety of impacts on (HWDSB) elementary schools.”
The board lists a number of impacts, including no report cards, but says that if parents have concerns, they are encouraged to reach out to their child’s teacher.
“We appreciate the challenges this creates for our families, students and staff as our priority remains keeping our students safe and focused on learning.”
The letter also says that athletics and extracurricular activities occurring outside of the regular school day are cancelled until further notice.
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“All field trips are cancelled up to February 7,” the HWDSB confirmed. “Field trips scheduled after this date may be cancelled or on hold – check with your child’s school principal.”
Individual Education Plans will continue to be updated as per previous practice, the letter says.
“We remain hopeful that an agreement may be reached in the coming days.”
Last week, the ETFO announced that they will be participating in rotating strikes starting earlier this week. The HWDSB has not been impacted by the decision yet.
“In the 28 days since our last bargaining session on December 19, 2019, the Ford government and Minister Lecce have had ample time to return to contract talks with ETFO and they have chosen not to do so,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond when the announcement was made last week.
“It is crystal clear that the Ford government is only interested in cuts to public education. There has been little discussion on ETFO’s proposals for: smaller classes where students get the help they need; more resources for students with special needs; protection of our world-renowned Kindergarten program; and fair compensation for educators,” Hammond said.
The ETFO represents 83,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers, and education professionals across the province.
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