Schools requesting N.S. parents to monitor students outside class-time a ‘big ask’

Cuts to unassigned instructional time for teachers has some schools looking to parents to volunteer in monitoring students when they are not in class.

This includes duties such as lunch monitoring.

“Parents are happy to help out where they can, but this is a government institution that has people on salary to normally do these jobs. Volunteering to go in and supervise students is a big ask, especially with high school students,” said Stacey Rudderham, a representative for Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education.

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Nova Scotia Teachers Union President, Paul Wozney, said teachers warned the public that eliminating unassigned instructional time would have these consequences — teachers deciding not to monitor students outside their classrooms.

Teachers used unassigned instructional time to build relationships with students, said Rudderham.

“It gives them the opportunity to keep an eye on students that may be struggling.”

Wozney says cutting unassigned instructional time has proven disastrous.

There have been lots of schools where there has been an uptick in violence, said Wozney, adding there is a never-ending revolving door of strangers who ultimately say they are not sticking around to supervise students for little or no pay.

“It’s not the kind of environment kids need,” he said.

The province says the change standardizes teaching time across the province according to the provincial collective agreement with teachers.