It only took a day, but the labour action by the province’s education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will force the closure of Guelph and area schools this week. The Upper Grand Board schools will be open one more day on Monday, while the Wellington Catholic Board schools staffed by CUPE workers will be closed immediately. Here’s the update from the two school boards…

Upper Grand District School Board

The UGDSB will begin shifting schools to remote learning early next week. All schools will be open to in-person learning on Monday November 7, however keeping schools open, healthy and safe is not sustainable without our valued CUPE employees.

Plan for next week:

• Monday November 7: All UGDSB schools will remain open to in-person learning.
• Tuesday November 8: All UGDSB SECONDARY schools will shift to remote learning.
• Wednesday November 9: All UGDSB ELEMENTARY schools will shift to remote learning.

*PLEASE NOTE: Students in our Life Skills class placements will continue with in-person learning.

During remote learning days:

• The school buildings will remain open for staff access and for our Life Skills classes.
• Child Care centres will remain open.
• Before and/or After School Programs (BASP) will close when schools are closed to in-person learning.

The following measures will be put in place effective for the week of November 7-11:

• School non-essential events or activities may be postponed.
• Before and after school extracurriculars and clubs, including athletic practices will be cancelled at all schools to allow schools to focus on the priorities of teaching and learning. However, playoff games for the fall season may proceed as scheduled and those teams that are in playoffs may continue to practice.
• When schools are open for in-person learning, extracurriculars and clubs that take place during the school day may continue.
• Community Use of Schools (CUS) permits at ALL UGDSB schools/sites will be cancelled from Friday November 4 until further notice. The only CUS permits that will be maintained during this time are for ECPP programs that are located in schools during the school day (Oasis, Pathways, Gateway).

Wellington Catholic District School Board

All CUPE- staffed schools in Guelph, Erin and Rockwood will be closed to in-person learning on Monday, November 7, 2022. St. John Bosco Secondary School and non-CUPE staffed schools (St. Joseph in Fergus, St. Mary in Elora, St. Mary in Mount Forest and St. John in Arthur) will remain open.

What to expect during school closures related to the current labour strike:

• CUPE-staffed Wellington Catholic DSB schools will be closed to students for in-person learning. St. John Bosco Secondary School and non-CUPE staffed schools will remain open. See the list below for further details.
• Transportation for Wellington Catholic School students attending CUPE-staffed schools will be cancelled for the duration of the closure.
• Before and After School programs at CUPE-staffed schools will be closed.
• Childcare programs (Infant, Toddler and Pre-School) operating at Sacred Heart Rockwood and St. Michael Guelph will remain open.
• Wellington Catholic DSB educators will provide instructions and asynchronous learning materials to their D2L site by 10:30 a.m. for students and parents and will be available through the day on Monday. Educators will provide a schedule of synchronous learning opportunities for future days if the closure extends beyond a day.
• Schools will provide separate information regarding access to technology or special circumstances for students who cannot access remote learning.
• All in-person extracurricular activities and athletic events taking place in schools will be postponed or cancelled. Current D10 sports teams will be permitted to complete playoff schedules and seasons.
• All Community Use of Schools Permits will be cancelled until further notice.
• There will be no International Languages Program or other programs which take place in Wellington Catholic DSB schools on Saturday, November 5 or Sunday, November 6.
• Report Cards and Parent-teacher Interviews scheduled for next week will be delayed if job action continues beyond the weekend.