In a statement on its website today, Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) announced that it will close all schools beginning on Monday, October 7 due to strike notice by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
CUPE announced on Wednesday that they will be starting a full withdrawal of all services across the province on Monday, October 7, 2019. Contract talks are to occur over the weekend, but TLDSB has elected to close schools as a precaution to ensure student safety.
In the statement, TLDSB said that it has “carefully assessed the potential impact on school operations and determined that student safety cannot be ensured. Therefore all TLDSB schools will be closed to students starting Monday, October 7, 2019 until the end of the CUPE full withdrawal of services. This includes all elementary, secondary, and adult and alternate education centres. Education centres in Lindsay and Bracebridge will remain open.”
Parents and guardians have been asked to make alternate arrangements for their children and to not send them to school on Monday.
The school board said it will notify parents and guardians of any changes prior to Monday morning, and has asked those affected to monitor the TLDSB website for updates.
The TLDSB statement adds, “The decision to close schools to students was very carefully considered. CUPE staff in TLDSB school provide important work in our schools, including support for students with special needs, safe arrival programs, water line flushing, cleaning, and maintenance of our buildings.
“We understand that this can be very frustrating for families and hope that a provincial agreement with CUPE will be reached very soon.”
The decision also impacts community use of schools. Any community programs or services scheduled within schools have also been cancelled.
The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, of which St. Mary’s is part, has not yet followed suit as of this morning. Only its custodial staff would be involved in the potential strike.
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Karen Insley says
Unlike the Trillium, Camp Muskoka is open free to all children 6-12 years with a food bank or children’s camp donation! How great is that! Has The Board dropped the policy of “open through rain, snow, or shine or”? Is the climate change anticipated to be that severe for Monday? And finally, will the taxpayer be receiving a tax credit for this? #thatsaYES