Strike To Close Superior-Greenstone DSB Elementary Schools
Strike Closes Superior-Greenstone DSB Elementary Schools on Thursday, December 20, 2012
MARATHON, ON– Following strike notification by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), all Superior-Greenstone DSB elementary school will be closed on Thursday, December 20, 2012. Secondary schools will be open for regular classes.
“We understand and sincerely regret this disruption for our students, and urge parents to make alternative arrangements for the care of their children on this day,” says David Tamblyn, Director of Education of Superior-Greenstone DSB. “We thank parents for their understanding during this challenging time for everyone in our system. The board is committed to ensuring the safety of our students throughout this job action and maintaining positive relationships with our students, parents, staff and the communities that we serve. We will continue to provide regular updates as the information becomes available,” said Tamblyn.
As a result of this strike, all elementary schools (Junior Kindergarten through grade 8) will be closed to students on December 20. Children in JK to grade eight who ride the school bus will not be picked up on Thursday, December 20.
“Student safety is a priority,” said Tamblyn. “Therefore, we ask that parents not drop off their JK to grade 8 children at the school on Thursday because there will not be adequate supervision available.
All secondary schools will remain open and school bus transportation will be provided as usual for high school students to attend their regular day classes. Tamblyn noted that daycare programs located in the elementary schools are operated by a third party and these facilities will make their own determination as to whether or not they will be open. He advised parents to watch for specific announcements from the daycare where their children may attend. “All elementary schools for Superior-Greenstone DSB are scheduled to reopen on Friday, December 21,” said Tamblyn. “We recognize that this is an inconvenience and are doing our best in this difficult provincial situation to minimize the disruption in our schools.”
“Every effort will be made to provide timely and relevant communication with our families for the duration of job action,” said Tamblyn. Any strike/school closure related information will be communicated directly to parents by school administration, as well as through media releases and bulletins that can be found by visiting the board website at www.sgdsb.on.ca where all related documents are posted under the Labour Relations Update section.
“We would like to thank our families for their patience and understanding during this event,” said Tamblyn. More information about the ETFO imposed sanctions can be found by visiting www.etfo.ca.
