LONDON, ONT -- Thousands of public high students including those in London had the day off as teachers held a one-day strike to protest the state of negotiations with the province.
As a result the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) closed all secondary schools Wednesday.
In a release the board said, “TVDSB has no other option but to close all secondary schools to students today as there is insufficient supervision to ensure student safety.”
“This is very disappointing that we’re out here today. We were all hoping for a resolution last night,” said local president of Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) John Bernaas.
The job action comes after talks between the union and the province stalled Tuesday evening.
The province and the union gave conflicting reports on how talks went throughout the day.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he presented the teachers with a new “framework” for negotiations but the OSSTF claimed there was no communication from the province since yesterday afternoon.
“I find it absolutely unacceptable that their children are not in class this morning. We have been consistently focussed on keeping them in class being reasonable as possible,” said Lecce.
“If we compare, what is going to have an impact on children, I mean a one day walk out versus taking twenty five percent of teachers out of the classroom. I think the public can do the math on what is going to have a bigger impact on kids,” retorts Bernaas.
Schools are expected to reopen Thursday.
With reporting from CTV's Marek Sutherland.
