Reminder: All UGDSB schools open Monday, plus schedule for remote learning and updated FAQs
November 6, 2022
To all UGDSB families,
We thank you for your continued support and understanding.
A reminder that all UGDSB schools will be open on Monday November 7, 2022. All secondary schools will shift to remote learning on Tuesday November 8 and all elementary schools will shift to remote learning on Wednesday November 9. *PLEASE NOTE: Students in our Life Skills class placements and Education and Community Partnership Programs (ECPP) will continue with in-person learning.
Please keep in mind that the status of our schools will continue to be monitored closely and this plan may have to change, depending upon unforeseen circumstances. If for whatever reason we are unable to keep to the schedule above, and have to shift schools to remote learning earlier than stated, we will communicate this update as soon as possible. We are committing to providing an update by Wednesday November 9 with details on the plan for schools going forward. We are committed to providing all students with as many in-person school days as possible.
We have updated our Frequently Asked Questions document with new information, including important information on why all UGDSB schools will shift to remote learning throughout next week.
The decision to shift to remote learning should the labour action extend into this week was made with very thoughtful consideration about the school system as a whole, student and staff safety, and the continuity of learning and services.
We committed from the beginning to assessing the ability to keep schools open on a regular basis and to communicate any changes in a timely manner. We have found that keeping schools open for an extended period without our valued CUPE staff is not sustainable.
We have an obligation to maintain safe and healthy learning and working environments and our ability to do that for more than a few days is strained.
Non-unionized administration staff are working to support our CUPE custodial sites to try and keep them open. This work is in addition to their regular responsibilities and is not sustainable for many days. CUPE represents over 220 permanent custodial and maintenance staff. The UGDSB must rely on approximately 90 non-unionized staff to support basic cleaning services at schools, but this is in addition to their regular job responsibilities (e.g. Human Resources, Communications, Student Mental Health) and is not sustainable as a long-term solution.
Maintenance staff are essential for keeping our 76 schools safe and operational. On Friday November 4 alone, over a dozen maintenance repair issues were reported, ranging from lighting to plumbing and electrical repairs necessary to maintain safe and sanitary conditions in our schools. The vast geography of our district makes it very difficult to respond to these requests with very limited qualified management staff.
Thank you again for your understanding,
Linda Busuttil, Chair of the Board
Peter Sovran, Director of Education
Categories: News