Simcoe County, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic school boards switch to online learning due to strike

Both the Simcoe County and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic school boards will be switching to an online learning model as Ontario education workers picket after the province passed legislation to impose a contract on workers.

In a letter sent home to families Friday, the Simcoe County District School Board said due to uncertainty regarding the current labour situation and potential for continued labour disruption next week, all SCDSB schools, learning centres and before-and-after-school programs will be closed to students from Monday, Nov. 7 to Friday, Nov. 11.

Students will receive assigned coursework through the virtual learning platform established by their teacher, the public board said.

The Catholic board said students will be given coursework to complete independently on Monday and Tuesday while it works to get all families the technology they need.

The Catholic board is then planning to continue full remote learning Wednesday indefinitely as CUPE workers continue to strike.

Should the labour situation be resolved, all schools, learning centres and before-and-after-school programs will resume regular operations.

The public board said special education county classes, excluding those for students in the gifted program, will return to in-person learning starting on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and transportation will continue for those students.

Schools or boards will be reaching out to families to ensure all students have the technology they need for remote learning.

On Thursday, the Progressive Conservative government enacted a law imposing a contract on 55,000 education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees and banned them from striking, pre-emptively using the notwithstanding clause to guard against constitutional challenges.

But CUPE began an indefinite strike anyway, with the largest protest happening at the legislature, where workers spread out over the lawn of the legislature and marched in a line around the building on streets closed off by police.

“Immediately following proclamation of the Keeping Students in Class Act, we filed a submission to the Ontario Labour Relations Board in response to CUPE’s illegal strike action. Proceedings started last night and will continue today,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce. “Nothing matters more right now than getting all students back in the classroom, and we will use every tool available to us to do so.”

CUPE represents custodial and maintenance staff, education workers, administration staff, librarians and early childhood educators.

CUPE workers were joined were supported by several unions, including the Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU), which had its 8,000 education workers join in a walkout Friday.

CUPE has said its workers, who make on average $39,000 a year, are generally the lowest-paid in schools.

— with files from Canadian Press’ Allison Jones and Sharif Hassan

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