No extracurricular sports, clubs or theatre for now
Public elementary schools hit by teachers’ work-to-rule campaign
Ontario’s elementary teachers are no longer coaching sports teams, directing the school play or running after-school clubs with a ban on extracurricular activities now in place in public schools.
As part of their escalated job action to put pressure on the government and school boards at the negotiating table, teachers were to officially cancel teams and clubs as of Wednesday, though some in Toronto did last week after the new measures were announced by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
Sports now cancelled include basketball, volleyball, touch and flag football, in Toronto and Peel — and at one Toronto school, even the traditional Halloween parade will be affected.
“Extracurriculars are a very important part of teachers’ and students’ school year experience.
It is regrettable that job action is continuing to have a direct impact on our students and that children’s lives are being negatively affected. We know how important complete progress report cards and clean schools are for students and parents,” said Education Minister Liz Sandals in a written statement, noting that bargaining between the union, schools boards and government continues under a media blackout.
If no deal is reached by Nov. 1, Premier Kathleen Wynne has said teachers, and support staff who are also engaged in a work-to-rule, could be docked pay as early as Nov. 6.
At Deer Park public school, school chair Christol Connolly said a dozen teachers from around the city spent last weekend trying to reschedule the city finals for football so kids wouldn’t miss out.
“They spent the weekend putting together a plan to allow it to go ahead Tuesday, ahead of the deadline,” she said.
“But the (board’s athletic association) didn’t allow the event to be rescheduled; they refused.”
The board says the event will be rescheduled once the work stoppage is over, she added.
“We don’t know when that will be, though.”
Board spokesman Ryan Bird said it was not possible to reschedule because city finals for slo-pitch were already set for Tuesday, although Connolly believed the coaches had checked to make sure there were no conflicts.
Connolly said the school has already held tryouts for volleyball for junior and senior students “and depending on how long this continues, they’ll miss basketball,” among other sports.
Tanya Murdoch, school council cochair at Davisville public school, said the choir and eco club had their last meetings on Tuesday.
“I think the (extracurricular ban) is going to hit really hard,” she said, adding there’s frustration on all sides. Last week, when some Toronto teachers began cancelling extracurriculars ahead of the Wednesday deadline, a spokesperson for ETFO said “it is possible that some teachers are acting on news they have heard in the media. Given that these are voluntary activities, it is also possible that some teachers are electing to withdraw their participation now which is their right given the voluntary nature of their participation.”
Students at Clinton Public School won’t have their usual Halloween parade around the neighbourhood to show off their costumes, but instead will parade around the school track as teachers aren’t taking kids off school property, even during the school day.