Halton school doors to be left unlocked as part of job action
Staff won’t be monitoring entry buzzers as well, raising worry among parents’ over their kids’ safety
The front doors to Halton public elementary schools will be left unlocked starting Monday as part of a new job action by school secretaries and office staff.
Halton District School Board education director Stuart Miller advised parents of the change in a letter sent Friday, saying school office and secretarial staff will take province-wide job actions that include no longer monitoring the school-entry buzzers.
Halton parents reacted immediately to the change on social media, with some suggesting they may keep their children home because of safety concerns.
“As a parent, it’s a huge red flag and a big concern given all the lunatics in the world,” said Jen Quinlan, whose two children will stay home from their Halton school throughout the policy change.
“I feel like they are using our children as bait to get what they want.”
Miller said entryway cameras will still be used and office staff will monitor visitors.
“As you know, our schools are experiencing significant impact due to the withdrawal of services by teachers and custodial staff,” he wrote.
“These sanctions will impact our elementary schools significantly. In our elementary schools, the front door will need to remain unlocked during the school day as secretarial staff are no longer able to unlock the door for visitors.”
In 2012, former premier Dalton McGuinty pledged $10 million for front-door security at as part of a Safe Welcome Program, after the tragic shooting of 20 children and six staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
But the province isn’t showing support staff “the respect they deserve,” said Jo Dean, an executive officer with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Association (OSSTF), which represents support staff in Halton schools — unlike other boards in the GTA, where they’re represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
“These buzzers can go 100 times a day, interrupting staff from their tasks. These are serious tasks that should be supported properly and this is one of the many things that isn’t thought through properly from the ministry.”
Dean said she was aware the Halton District School Board had opted for the open-door policy and that school boards across Ontario were reacting in different ways.
In Toronto, Peel, York and Durham regions, school secretaries have not been prohibited by CUPE from buzzing people in.
Instead, the union has instructed secretaries not to multi-task when the buzzer rings: “Stop what you are doing when answering the door buzzer, to ensure student safety.” If they can’t get everything done dur- ing regular hours with all the interruptions, they are to file for overtime.
“We had a town-hall meeting this week where the question of doors came up, and we were quite clear that our members are to buzz people in, because student safety is our uppermost concern,” said CUPE spokesperson Mario Emond.
Some boards, such as the Toronto District School Board and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, have alerted families there may be some delays in office services such as answering the phone, and asked their patience.
Paul Elliott, provincial president of OSSTF, said the sanctions in Halton shouldn’t have come as a surprise to schools after talks “came to an impasse” a week ago. “I would expect boards to put contingency plans in place,” said Elliot, adding that the province was given notice of the sanctions Wednesday. “I don’t think it should be a shock to them that we are taking bargaining action.”
Elliott said he’s still hopeful all parties can get back to the bargaining table, but that he “would consider these to be mild job sanctions” overall. “We’ve been at the table for over a year,” he said. “The process has been a problem.”
Job actions by secretary and office staff will cause additional disruptions locally and across the province.
Staff will no longer call students to the office and supervise students sent to the office; manage cash or cheques; assist with student registration; attend school council meetings; or assist with school communications, such as newsletters, blogs, website updates and tweets.
The changes mean it will no longer be business as usual in Halton elementary schools, said Miller.
“Principals and vice-principals have been directed to cancel or postpone all but the core work of the school,” wrote Miller. “We share your disappointment. However, I am sure you understand the importance of keeping schools open, safe, and focused on student learning.”
With files from Louise Brown