Limestone District School Board closing schools on Monday

MEDIA RELEASE: All LDSB schools will close Monday, Oct. 7 October 4, 2019 Dear Families, I am writing to provide you with an update on plans by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to begin full strike action on Monday, Oct. 7.

CUPE announced earlier this week they would escalate from a partial withdrawal of services, which began on Sept. 30, to a full walkout if an agreement between the government and the employer association is not reached.

A full walkout means that CUPE staff would not report to work. In Limestone, this includes about 700 staff including custodians, maintenance staff, office administrators, clerical staff, early childhood educators, educational assistants, communicative disorders assistants, and information technology technicians.

Given the magnitude of this strike, we cannot safely operate our schools. This means we will close all schools to students on Monday, Oct. 7 - if an agreement is not reached this weekend. If a deal is reached over the weekend, or all parties commit to continued bargaining, a strike might not occur. We will confirm the status of our schools Monday morning, much the way we handle inclement weather days. We will share information by 6 a.m. on our Board communication channels and direct messages to families.

A school closure means that:

  *   students will not be permitted at school. Parents and guardians will need to find alternate arrangements for their children for the duration of the strike.

  *   students attending Cooperative Education, School Within a College (SWAC), Dual Credits, and the Building Construction Internship Program (BCIP) will be permitted to continue their learning as it is offsite.

  *   students participating in eLearning courses may continue their learning as well.

  *   all extra-curricular activities will be cancelled.

  *   teaching staff and non-unionized staff are required to report to work