School district, union say picketers will not interfere with teachers or students
Matthew Little
The Province
Sunday, September 02, 2007
It's back to school this Tuesday for 547,840 elementary and high-school students -- but some Vancouver students will be without full services.
Vancouver schools that share facilities with city community centres or public libraries won't have access to books and gymnasiums.
Thunderbird Elementary, Lord Strathcona Elementary, Britannia Elementary, Britannia Secondary and King George Secondary all share picketed facilities with the city.
On Friday, the Vancouver school district and union came to an agreement at the Labour Relations Board that picketers won't interfere with teachers or students getting to school.
But the recreation facilities will still be off limits.
Jacquie Griffiths, spokeswoman for the B.C. Public School Employers Association that represents the school district, said Friday that parents should bring their children to school Tuesday.
Paul Faoro, president of Local 15 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 3,500 striking inside workers, said the union's fight was with the city and it did not intend to close schools.
But that doesn't help where shared facilities are still locked out.
"Our school will be without a library," said Greg Barnes, principal of Britannia Elementary. "Our gym is a community centre gym, so we are expecting we won't be able to use it."
Barnes said there are some books in the school and students can use a field for phys-ed on sunny days. But if the strike doesn't end soon, students will miss out, he said.
One new program at Britannia aimed to give students a sampling of the community centre's programs including swimming, skating, hockey and badminton lessons.
The five-day program is part of provincial efforts to keep kids active.
"We were looking forward to that," said Barnes.
How much students are affected will depend on the length of the strike.
Physical education at Britannia begins with track and field, but if the strike lasts until volleyball and basketball season, Barnes isn't sure what to do.
He was also worried about the parents of approximately 40 students who depended on before- and after-school care normally provided by city workers.
"We just need to wait and see how it plays out," he said.
Barnes wouldn't say exactly how the students would be affected, but said cancelled youth programs at community centres were a big loss.
"They really provide a big service to our kids and give them a place," he said.
Besides sports, those services include child-care programs for some 1,350 children. Parents relying on child-care services provided by city workers need other arrangements.
Teachers also note the loss of services, but stand firmly behind striking city workers.
"We're in this situation because the city hasn't been bargaining with city workers," said Jody Polukoshko, vice-president of the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers Association.
"When things are taken away from students, when opportunities aren't there, it's a reflection of how much students need all members of the community."
