Work-to-rule strike action in effect Monday

Students at DSB-ONE, and all public elementary schools across Ontario will be in class next week.

Ontario elementary teachers will stage a work-to-rule campaign starting Monday.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario says during their strike teachers won’t perform certain administrative duties but extracurriculars and field trips will continue for now.

DSB-ONE Chair Doug Shearer says the impact on students will be very minimal.

President Sam Hammond says teachers will still be in the classrooms during the first phase of the strike.

The union told its members about the work to rule in a memo earlier this week, but refused to confirm it publicly.

According to a release by the ETFO, teachers and occasional teachers “will cease undertaking EQAO testing with students or related activities, will not prepare report card comments other than providing a class list of marks, and will not participate in any Ministry initiatives and activities.”

Hammond says the work to rule will continue until the government withdraws what he calls unreasonable demands or he determines the strike needs to be escalated.

The elementary strike comes as more than 70,000 high school students in the province sit home because teachers in the Toronto-area boards of Peel and Durham, as well as Sudbury, have walked off the job.

CLICK HERE for the DSB-ONE letter being sent to students regarding Friday’s decision.

(With files from The Canadian Press)