More information is coming out about what MAY be happening in schools at the start of school – this will only be confirmed later on.
The job-action plan was approved by the B.C. Labour Relations Board last month after teachers agreed to work with principals as usual during the first few days of school to prepare classes. The plan includes 30 activities that teachers are expected to eschew including the following, which could affect students: “Participate in any school photo organization; collect money from students or participate in fundraising; supervise detentions before, during or after instructional time; participate in the preparation or the organization of assemblies outside of instructional time or during instructional time unless coverage is provided; administer or supervise FSA (Foundation Skills Assessment tests in Grades 4 and 7) or any district or ministry test.”
Hansman said teachers will take attendance, but a dispute over how that information will be communicated to the school office has been referred to the labour relations board for a decision. Note: the B.C. Labour Relations Board ruled recently that attendance must continue as usual.
No picketing is expected at schools, and any escalation of job action would have to be approved by teachers in a provincewide vote. Negotiations, cancelled for the summer, are set to resume Aug. 23. The two sides have made scant progress since talks began in March and are far apart on several issues, notably pay and benefits.
The job action is directed at administration, but it will touch others with the union’s decision to not issue report cards, hold meet-the-teacher nights, supervise detentions, collect money from students for any purpose, help organize school photos or administer standardized tests. There is a possibility some teachers will withdraw from extracurricular activities, although the union is not giving direction one way or the other on that.
“If teachers choose to continue with their after-school band program or their knitting club or sports activities because that creates a positive relationship between them and their students, great. If they don’t want to, that’s their choice,” BCTF vice-president Glen Hansman said in an interview.
From “State 1 Job Action”, from 2001:
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