Teachers were back at schools in School District 43 but not in the classroom on what was supposed to be the first day of school today, Tuesday.
With the BC Teachers' Federation and the BC Public School Employers' Association failing to come to an agreement over the weekend, the teachers' strike is now back in full force.
That means parents have been asked to keep their children at home. On its website and in a Tweet, Superintendent Tom Grant stated that schools are not open for instruction.
"Unfortunately the negotiators for the BCTF and the BCPSEA could not reach a negotiated settlement over the weekend. The parties met with the assistance of Vince Ready and while he determined that the parties are too far apart he remains in contact with them. Student safety continues to be our highest priority and we do not have the capacity to supervise large numbers of students nor to offer educational programs. We respectfully ask that parents do not bring children to schools on Tuesday and for the duration of the strike," Grant said in a statement.
The full text is available here.
Parents are encourage to make other arrangements and the province has promised to reimburse families with children under 12 to cover the cost of learning and supervision. More information is available here.
Today, some 30,000 students were to report to their schools, but with the dispute currently at a stalemate, it's uncertain as to when schools will re-open.
