Hard line

An unidentified student shows her support for her teacher.

Job action threatens school sports and activities

About 100 high school students walked out of class on Monday in support of their teachers who are locked in a dispute with the provincial government. Earlier this month the McGuinty government passed legislation that imposed a two-year wage freeze on teachers, restricted the use of sick days and banned the right to strike.

The teachers’ unions retaliated by withdrawing their participation in extracurricular sports and activities—originally targeting just Mondays but expanding in some schools to to encompass all activities and sports. This means football, basketball and rugby seasons at some schools have been put on ice indefinitely.

Parents are invited to CML Snider Elementary School this Thursday to visit their child’s classroom but the teacher may not be there. The annual cross-country meet bringing aspiring runners together from across the County has been cancelled.

Some high school students at Prince Edward Collegiate Institute in Picton staged a walkout on Monday morning to express their support for their teachers and its union.

“People don’t understand that this dispute is not about money,” said Kierstyn Bennett, a student organizer. “We aren’t here about sports or extracurricular activities. Teachers are having their rights taken away to collective bargaining and strike. If they do it to teachers—what is stopping them from doing that to others? Sports may be important to us but someday we are going to be adults and our jobs are at stake.”

Bennett hopes the expression of support, and others like it, will push the province to overturn the legislation.

“I hope it brings awareness to Bill 115 and that enough people will respond and it will be removed. That is the goal.” Bennett say she doesn’t feel like she or other students are being treated as pawns in the dispute between the teachers’ unions and the province.

“I did this myself,” said Bennett. “I have my own views and a number of students seem to share this view and many decided to come out this morning to support their teachers. It is a lot bigger than sports and activities.”

Hastings Prince Edward District School Board spokesperson Kerry Donnell said some extracurricular activities are continuing to happen in some schools but it is not clear for how long.

“It is all over the map right now,” said Donnell. “We are still trying to understand what is happening at our schools; we are still working through it. It is business as usual as much as possible. But individual decisions are being made in each school and being made by individuals.”

Calls to the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario for comment were not returned.