April 2015

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR FAMILIES:

Potential job action by Peel secondary teachers

The purpose of this letter is to update Peel District School Board families on the status of labour negotiations with its secondary teachers. We know that, as parents, it’s important for you to know how this situation may affect your teen so I’m writing to provide you with an update.

The Peel board is now in receipt of a No-Board Report. The Ontario Labour Relations Actrequires the receipt of a No-Board Report before the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation can announce legal strike action. As per the act, school boards must be given five days’ notice before any strike action can be taken. As such, the earliest Peel secondary teachers may be on strike is April 25, 2015. Similar job action is currently being taken in seven school boards across Ontario—Durham, Halton, Lakehead, Ottawa-Carleton, Rainbow and Waterloo Region.

Our concern is with the safety of our students.We want you to clearly understand the status of our schools if there is a strike in Peel secondary schools.We want to make sure families have as much notice as possible.

If a strike occurs, all Peel secondary schools will be closed to students. This means:

  • All regular instructional programs for grade 9 to 12 students are cancelled.
  • Extracurricular activities, field trips and school events are cancelled.
  • Buses for secondary students will not operate. Buses will continue their routes for elementary students only.
  • Teachers may be picketing outside Peel secondary schools. Picketing is not expected to take place outside Peel elementary schools.

If you have questions, or want to know what is happening in Peel board schools related to negotiations:

  • Look for updates on social media—follow @PeelSchools on Twitter and/or like our page on Facebook at
  • Visit the Peel board website at .

Our priority during any job action is the safety of our students. We will continue to monitor the situation and its impact on Peel board students. We are committed to keeping you informed and will update and communicate with you directly, as the situation changes.

As a board, we respect our secondary teachers and value their work with students. We remain committed to reaching fair, negotiated agreements with all of our employee groups. Thank you for your patience, support and understanding.

Janet McDougald

Chair, Peel District School Board