CUPE Strike Action – School Closures

Following our recent messaging regarding the potential for school closures, and after extensive consideration, should a provincial agreement not be reached over the weekend and CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) staff begin their announced full strike, Durham District School Board (DDSB) elementary and secondary schools will be closed to students on Monday, October 7, 2019 and thereafter until further notice.

We share concern and disappointment with this development, and want to share our plans as soon as possible to allow parents, guardians and students to make any necessary arrangements.

In the event of a CUPE Strike, effective Monday, October 7, 2019:

• All elementary and secondary schools will be closed
• Select DDSB child care centres will remain open until further notice. Please contact child care providers for details. For a list of DDSB child care provider contacts, visit https://www.ddsb.ca/en/family-and-community-support/early-years-programs-child-care.aspx  
• All DDSB/DSTS transportation services will be cancelled
• Continuing Education including night school, English as a Second Language (ESL), and Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) will be closed
• Continuing Education Adult Day School will remain open until further notice 

It is highly unusual for the DDSB to close schools to our students. This has been, and continues to be, an exceptional and rapidly changing situation, but student and staff safety is always our first priority. The decision to close schools has not been taken lightly, and is being made because we do not believe we can provide the necessary safe and secure learning environments for all students should a full CUPE strike occur. 

Safety-related concerns and considerations include: 

• supervision of students
• administering health and medical supports and care for students
• safe operation of water and sanitation systems, including legislated water flushing
• conditions of school buildings and classrooms
• overall safety and security 

We are optimistic that a provincial agreement can be reached to prevent further disruption to our students and families. We will continue to follow this situation closely and are committed to providing students and families with accurate and timely information. We will provide confirmation to parents about school status for Monday as soon as we have verified details on the outcome of this weekend’s negotiations.

The most recent information and updates will continue to be found on our website: https://www.ddsb.ca/en/labour-action-update.aspx or by following us on Twitter @DurhamDSB. 

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is responsible for public education in the rural settings of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships and the urban settings of Ajax, Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa. The DDSB employs 6,900 teaching and educational services staff. With 133 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres, the DDSB accommodates more than 70,000 regular day students and thousands more who take advantage of a wide variety of continuing education and adult credit courses. More information can be found on the DDSB’s website at www.ddsb.ca. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @DurhamDSB and YouTube at DurhamDSB.

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