The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) is notifying parents and guardians after Ontario education workers announced they will begin full strike action on Monday.
Jeff Pratt, associate director for the board, said they will let parents and guardians know as soon as possible if they have to close down the schools.
“We are still working with our management team, but what I would stress is parents absolutely need to start looking at alternate arrangements,” he said.
In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the board confirmed that “a decision around school closures will be made by Friday, October 4 at 11:00 a.m.”
The statement followed an announcement from the president of the Ontario School Board Council of Unions on Wednesday morning.
“We have no choice but to invoke the next step in the legal process we follow for school board bargaining,” said Laura Walton.
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“This morning, CUPE and OSPEU gave the legal five-day notice that our school board members will commence full strike action on Monday.”
Tens of thousands of workers began a work-to-rule campaign last Monday as confusion mounted about when their union and the government would go back to the bargaining table.
Grant Wood, a parent whose daughter goes to Aberdeen Public School in London, said work-to-rule impacted some of the programs his daughter uses.
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“Her programs got cut back. She was in an after-school program that was pretty cool because it opened up doors for potential stuff, now there is nothing.”
CUPE represents 55,000 education assistants, personal support workers, child and youth care workers, early childhood educators, lunch hour supervisors, custodians, administrative assistants, payroll and accounting associates, as well as computer and library technicians.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce responded to the announcement just after noon and re-emphasized his drive to get a deal done as soon as possible.
When asked whether or not the government would table back-to-school legislation, Lecce would not give a definite answer but said historically, it’s better to come to a deal voluntarily.
— With files from Global News’ Jessica Patton and 980 CFPL’s Sawyer Bogdan.
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