Schools will be open to students Monday; tentative deal struck

Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) serves approximately 15,100 students at 35 elementary and eight secondary schools. Supporting student achievement is the goal of approximately 1,800 teaching and support staff who, in addition to the contributions of caring volunteers and community partners, share their passion for teaching and learning. The district covers a wide geographic area of 7,221 square kilometres bordered by Maynooth to the north, Deseronto to the east, Prince Edward County to the south and Quinte West to the west.

UPDATE SUNDAY: With a tentative deal reached between the province and CUPE, schools will be open to Hastings Prince Edward District School Board students on Monday.

Schools closed Monday if provincial agreement isn’t reached

Friday, OCT. 2 – Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board schools will be closed to students on Monday, Oct. 7 and possibly longer, if a provincial agreement is not reached or progress toward an agreement is not reached by midnight on Oct. 6.

This is connected to provincial job action by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) who are in negotiations with the Ministry of Education and trustee associations.

“I recognize that keeping your children home from school is incredibly disruptive. Job action, such as a full withdrawal of services, is part of the collective bargaining process,” said Sean Monteith, Director of Education.

This decision is being taken for safety and security reasons, and involved the following considerations:
· supervision and reporting student attendance;
· medical supports and care;
· safe operation of water and sanitation systems, including required water flushing;
· conditions of school buildings and classrooms; and
· overall safety and security.

In preparation for next week, parents/guardians are encouraged to make the necessary arrangements to support their family needs.

Staff who are not affected by the strike will be reporting to work; schools will be closed to students, not to staff.

“Even though people may have different viewpoints and perspectives, the people who are going on strike are not just staff, they’re community members, they’re family, they’re friends and we engage with each other every day, in and out of school and work. We have to remember that the dust always settles and the relationships between one another will go on,” added Monteith.

A letter will be going home with elementary students today and a voicemail message will be sent to phone numbers on file for secondary school students.

It is important to point out that if a provincial agreement is reached over the weekend, schools will be open on Monday.

“We will constantly be re-evaluating this today, over the weekend and every day in the coming days. Updates will be posted on the Labour Updates section of our website, on our Twitter account @HPEschools, and reported through local media.”