Year ends with no teacher comments on report cards

No comment — all year.

Some 75,000 Toronto teens will finish the school year having had no teacher comments on any of their report cards, as the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation’s Toronto local continues to withhold remarks as part of its work-to-rule campaign.

In an email to parents, Toronto District School Board officials warned there will once again be no teacher comments, nor will teachers input marks themselves for principals, which could mean delays in sending out the cards.

“As some students will not receive their report cards in the mail until July, students and parents should contact teachers directly by June 30 should they have questions or con- cerns about student progress,” said the letter, signed by board chair Robin Pilkey and education director John Malloy.

Local union president Doug Jolliffe said 6,000 high school teachers began a work-to-rule campaign in November, before most fall report cards came out, as they’ve been without a contract since 2013. He said in high school, “comments are less relevant than in elementary schools, and we’re trying to take actions that impact the administration, not students.”

“We’ve already said we won’t strike extracurricular activities next year (if there is still no deal) but jeez, it’s not going to be business as usual. We’ve only had one day of bargaining since Dec. 3.”

Teachers will make an exception, he noted, and input marks for Grade 12 students.