Labour Action Updates and Information

MARCH 1, 2020 - OSSTF JOB ACTION MARCH 5, 2020

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) representing Secondary Teachers and Education Workers, have announced that their members will participate in one-day rotating strikes (full withdrawal of services) at a number of school boards, including the Near North District School Board, on Thursday, March 5, 2020.

Due to safety concerns including inability to provide the required supervision to students, a full withdrawal of services will result in all elementary and secondary schools being closed to students on Thursday, March 5, 2020.

While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children.

Given that this is a one-day full withdrawal of services, all schools will re-open on Friday, March 6, 2020.

All Early Years Programs; Childcare, School Aged Programs and Early On Child and Family Centres will remain open. Community Use will run as usual.

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 - ETFO TO BEGIN PHASE 6 WORK TO RULE

ETFO has announced that Phase 6 Work-to-Rule (WTR) Strike Protocol will begin on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at which time all ETFO members will:

• do only their scheduled teaching and supervision assignments during their regular instructional time. Teacher and occasional teacher members will not agree to, or participate in, any additions/modifications to their schedule, with the exception of attending meetings to support students with special needs or to discuss student safety.
• NOT do any coverage for absent members, regardless of the reason for the absence (except in the case of an occasional teacher hired to replace an absent teacher).
• NOT accept/disperse students from/to other classrooms when a member is absent, regardless of the reason for the absence. (Note: If a member requires coverage for any reason, it is the responsibility of the school administration to arrange that coverage.)
• NOT miss their regularly scheduled planning or preparation time.
• NOT spend personal funds to purchase instructional materials or resources for students, the classroom, the school or the board.
• NOT upload data related to assessments on board systems. Teacher and occasional teacher members will continue to do assessments using their professional judgement. Members may complete assessments for supports and/or funding for students with special needs or ELL students.

A full list of ETFO's Phase 6 work-to-rule sanctions is available online.

FEBRUARY 13, 2020 ETFO AND OSSTF WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICES FEBRUARY 21, 2020

ETFO and OSSTF Teacher and Education Workers have announced a province wide one-day full withdrawal of services/walkout on Friday, February 21, 2020.

Due to safety concerns including inability to provide the required supervision to students, a full withdrawal of services will result in all elementary and secondary schools being closed to students on Friday, February 21, 2020.

While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children.

Given that this is a one-day full withdrawal of services, all schools will re-open on Monday, February 24, 2020.

All Early Years Programs; Childcare, School Aged Programs and Early On Child and Family Centres will remain open. Community Use will run as usual.

As always, our focus remains on ensuring a safe environment for our students. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

FEBRUARY 6, 2020 - ETFO WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICES FEBRUARY 11 AND 14, 2020

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has announced the following full withdrawal of services:

• Tuesday, February 11, 2020 province wide one-day full withdrawal of services; and
• Friday, February 14, 2020 local one-day full withdrawal of services.

Therefore on February 11 and 14, 2020 all NNDSB schools will be closed to elementary students (Grade JK-8) but will remain open and accessible to Grade 9 -12 students.  ETFO has advised that members will not stop cars and will not detain people who are using the building for other purposes, i.e., childcare, secondary students.

While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children. It is the expectation that all non-ETFO staff are required to report to work, which includes all secondary teachers, educational assistants, secretaries, custodial staff, principals and vice-principals.

All Early Years Programs; Childcare, School Aged Programs and Early On Child and Family Centres will remain open. Community Use will run as usual.

As always, our focus remains on ensuring a safe environment for our students. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

JANUARY 31, 2019 - ETFO WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICES FEBRUARY 5 AND 6, 2020

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has announced the following full withdrawal of services:

• Wednesday, February 5, 2020 local one-day full withdrawal of services; and
• Thursday, February 6, 2020 province wide full withdrawal of services.

Therefore on February 5 and 6, 2020 all NNDSB schools will be closed to elementary students(Grade JK-8) but will remain open and accessible to Grade 9 -12 students.  ETFO has advised that members will not stop cars and will not detain of people who are using the building for other purposes, i.e., childcare, secondary students.

While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children. It is the expectation that all non-ETFO staff are required to report to work, which includes all secondary teachers, secretaries, custodial staff, principal and vice-principals.

All schools will re-open to elementary students on Friday, February 7, 2020.

All Early Years Programs; Childcare, School Aged Programs and Early On Child and Family Centres will remain open. Community Use will run as usual.

As always, our focus remains on ensuring a safe environment for our students. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

NNDSB SELECTED FOR ETFO WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICES

ETFO Teachers have announced a one-day full withdrawal of services/walkout on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 for select boards of which Near North District School Board is a selected board.

Due to safety concerns including inability to provide the required supervision to students, a full withdrawal of services will result in schools being closed to all elementary students (Grades JK-8) on January 29, 2020.  This includes Grade 7 and 8 students who attend Intermediate/Secondary Schools.

While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children.

Given that this is a one-day full withdrawal of services, all schools will re-open on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

All Early Years Programs; Childcare, School Aged Programs and Early On Child and Family Centres will remain open. Community Use will run as usual.

JANUARY 16, 2020 - OSSTF ANNOUNCES WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2020

OSSTF Teacher and Education Workers have announced a one-day full withdrawal of services/walkout on Tuesday, January 21^st, 2020 for select boards of which Near North District School Board is a selected board.

While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children.

OSSTF represents secondary Teachers, Early Childhood Educators (ECE), Educational Assistants (EA) and PSSP staff (Psychologists, Psychometrists, Speech Language Pathologists, Communicative Disorder Assistants, Behaviour Counsellors, Behaviour Analyst, Child Development Counsellors, Attendance Counsellors and Mental Health Workers).

Due to safety concerns including inability to provide the required supervision to students, a full withdrawal of services will result in all elementary and secondary schools being closed to students on January 21^st, 2020.

Given that this is a one-day full withdrawal of services, all schools will re-open on Wednesday, January 22^nd, 2020.

All childcare, before and after daycare, EarlyOn centres and community use will continue to remain open.

JANUARY 10, 2020 - ETFO TO BEGIN PHASE 3 WORK TO RULE

ETFO has announced that Phase 3 Work-to-Rule (WTR) Strike Protocol will begin on Monday, January 13, 2020, at which time all ETFO members will:

• NOT plan or participate in any assemblies, except to provide supervision to students;
• NOT participate in extracurricular activities except for those that are scheduled within the regular school day;
• NOT participate in field trips;
• NOT arrive at work any earlier than 30 minutes before the start of the instructional day for students (or for hourly paid ETFO members, not arrive any more than 30 minutes before the start of the scheduled workday); and
• NOT remain at the worksite later than 15 minutes after the end of the instructional day for students (or for hourly paid ETFO members, not remain later than 15 minutes after the end of the scheduled workday).

 In addition, if no agreement is reached at the Teacher/Occasional Teacher and Education Worker Central Tables by January 17, 2020, effective January 20, 2020, ETFO will escalate job action to Phase 4.  Under Phase 4 ETFO members will:

• NOT participate in any District School Board or Ministry professional learning; and
• ETFO locals will commence a full-withdrawal of services strike on a rotating basis.

 A full list of ETFO's Phase 3 and 4 work-to-rule sanctions is available online.

JANUARY 10, 2019 NNDSB WILL NOT ADMINISTER EQAO GRADE 9 MATH ASSESSMENT

On January 8, 2020 the Minister of Education announced that the decision with respect to the administration of the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment for semester 1 would be left to individual school boards. The Near North District School Board will be joining all other English Public Boards in the Province of Ontario and will not be participating in the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment which was scheduled to commence next week.

All Ontario students who are enrolled in a grade 9 applied or grade 9 academic mathematics courses are normally required to take the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent provincial agency funded by the Government of Ontario. EQAO’s mandate is to conduct province-wide tests at key points in every student’s education and report the results to educators, parents and the public. EQAO measures students' achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to Ontario Curriculum expectations.

Teachers have been teaching the math curriculum throughout semester one. The curriculum taught aligns with and prepares students for the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment.

Teachers will continue to work through the completion of the grade 9 math curriculum as semester one comes to an end. Not participating in the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment will have no impact on students’ final grades.

In a statement issued on January 8, the Minister of Education said that students who do not take the EQAO Grade 9 Math Assessment in January will need to take the test in June. The board will await further direction from the Ministry with regards to a make-up test for semester 1 students.   Near North District School Board Staff understand the difficulties and challenges this would pose to grade 9 students who are not studying math in semester 2 and will work through the logistics of administering a make-up test, if required.

December 10, 2019 - ETFO BEGINS PHASE 2 WORK TO RULE

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced that, in addition to the Phase 1 Work-to-Rule Strike Protocol currently in place, its members will begin Phase 2 on Tuesday, December 10, 2019.

ETFO’s Phase 2 Work-to-Rule Strike Protocol includes, but is not limited to:

• Not planning any new field trips scheduled to occur before June 30, 2020
• Not collecting monies or participating in the electronic collection of monies for school-based activities except those for charitable causes
• Not distributing any memos/letters from a school and/or school board

A full list of ETFO’s Phase 2 work-to-rule sanctions is available online.

December 9, 2019 - OSSTF ANNOUNCES DECEMBER 11, 2019 WITHDRAWAL OF SERVICES

OSSTF Teacher and Education Workers have announced a one-day full withdrawal of services/walkout on Wednesday, December 11^th,  2019 for select boards of which Near North District School Board is a selected board.

OSSTF represents secondary Teachers, Early Childhood Educators (ECE), Educational Assistants (EA) and PSSP staff (Psychologists, Psychometrists, Speech Language Pathologists, Communicative Disorder Assistants, Behaviour Counsellors, Behaviour Analyst, Child Development Counsellors, Attendance Counsellors and Mental Health Workers).

Due to safety concerns including inability to provide the required supervision to students, a full withdrawal of services will result in all elementary and secondary schools being closed to students on December 11^th, 2019.   While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children.

Given that this is a one-day full withdrawal of services, all schools will re-open on Thursday, December 12th, 2019.

All childcare, before and after school age programs, EarlyOn programs and community use will continue to remain open.

We remain hopeful that a settlement can be reached by end of day Tuesday, December 10, 2019. If an agreement is reached, schools will be open as usual on Wednesday, December 11^th, 2019.

Picket Line Information for Parents and Families

DECEMBER 4, 2019 - ALL NNDSB SCHOOLS CLOSED

NOVEMBER 28, 2019:  Schools Closed In Event of OSSTF One Day Full Withdrawal of Services

All Near North District School Board secondary and elementary schools will be closed to students, in the event of a full withdrawal of services by OSSTF on Wednesday, December 4th, 2019. While we understand that this is a challenging time, parents will be required to make alternate arrangements for their children.

In the Near North District School Board (NNDSB), OSSTF represents secondary Teachers, Early Childhood Educators (ECE), Educational Assistants (EA) and PSSP staff (Psychologists, Psychometrists, Speech Language Pathologists, Communicative Disorder Assistants, Behaviour Counsellors, Behaviour Analyst, Child Development Counsellors, Attendance Counsellors and Mental Health Workers).   In the elementary panel ECE’s and EA’s provide significant scheduled supervision for all elementary students. The absence of ECE’S and EA’s in the elementary panel will create significant safety concerns in that the Board will not be in the position to provide the required supervision to students.

Given that this is a one-day full withdrawal of services all schools will re-open on Thursday, December 5th, 2019.

All childcare, before and after daycare, EarlyOn centres and community use will remain open.

We remain hopeful that a settlement can be reached by end of day Tuesday, December 3, 2019. If an agreement is reached, schools will open as usual on Wednesday.

Elementary Teachers (ETFO – Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario)

• This group represents all contract and occasional teachers.
• On November 14, ETFO announced that “Work to Rule – Phase 1” is set to begin Tuesday November 26, 2019.  The action involves elementary school teachers in NNDSB. It targets Ministry and school board administrative tasks and does not directly impact students. Details of this action can be found here.
• What this means: your child will still come to school during a “work to rule” and supervision will not be impacted.

Education Support Staff Personnel (OSSTF)

• This group includes Educational Assistants and Designated Early Childhood Educators.
• Beginning Tuesday November 26, union members will:
  • Engage in information pickets before or after school, or during lunch periods (this will not disrupt the regular school day and will have no effect on students in the classroom. Educators will simply distribute information to parents and to the general public).
  • Begin a limited withdrawal of services that will affect government or school board initiatives only. These job actions will have no impact on student learning. Full details on this job action can be found here.

Professional Student Services Personnel (OSSTF)

• This group includes Speech Pathologists, Psychometrists, Psychologists, Communicative Disorders Assistants, Behaviour Counsellors, Behaviour Analyst, Child Development Counsellors and Mental Health Workers.
• Beginning Tuesday November 26, union members will:
  • Engage in information pickets before or after school, or during lunch periods (this will not disrupt the regular school day and will have no effect on students in the classroom. Educators will simply distribute information to parents and to the general public).
  • Begin a limited withdrawal of services that will affect government or school board initiatives only. These job actions will have no impact on student learning. Full details on this job action can be found here.

Secondary Teachers (OSSTF – Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation)

• This group represents all contract and occasional teachers.
• Beginning Tuesday November 26, union members will:
  • Engage in information pickets before or after school, or during lunch periods (this will not disrupt the regular school day and will have no effect on students in the classroom. Educators will simply distribute information to parents and to the general public).
  • Begin a limited withdrawal of services that will affect government or school board initiatives only. These job actions will have no impact on student learning. Full details on this job action can be found here.

Education Support Staff Personnel (OSSTF)

• This group includes Educational Assistants and Designated Early Childhood Educators.
• Beginning Tuesday November 26, union members will:
  • Engage in information pickets before or after school, or during lunch periods (this will not disrupt the regular school day and will have no effect on students in the classroom. Educators will simply distribute information to parents and to the general public).
  • Begin a limited withdrawal of services that will affect government or school board initiatives only. These job actions will have no impact on student learning. Full details on this job action can be found here.

Professional Student Services Personnel (OSSTF)

• This group includes Speech Pathologists, Psychometrists, Psychologists, Communicative Disorders Assistants, Behaviour Counsellors, Behaviour Analyst, Child Development Counsellors and Mental Health Workers.
• Beginning Tuesday November 26, union members will:
  • Engage in information pickets before or after school, or during lunch periods (this will not disrupt the regular school day and will have no effect on students in the classroom. Educators will simply distribute information to parents and to the general public).
  • Begin a limited withdrawal of services that will affect government or school board initiatives only. These job actions will have no impact on student learning. Full details on this job action can be found here.

Day care/Early Years Centres Attached to Schools