Sent to parents this afternoon:
Families,
Today, Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) and the union that represents some of our school support workers returned to the bargaining table. Despite efforts to resolve outstanding items, we were not able to reach an agreement with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 5047.
CUPE Local 5047 has informed us they will be on strike as of 12:01 a.m., Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
As a reminder, during the strike, the following services will continue:
- All schools will remain open to in-person learning.
- Student transportation will operate as usual. Special needs transportation will operate as usual for students who can reasonably and safely attend school without Educational Program Assistant (EPA) support for the duration of the strike.
- The EXCEL program will continue to operate.
Effective tomorrow, May 10, 2023, the following services will be disrupted:
- EPAs will not be at work. Principals have reached out to families of students who require the support of EPAs about how they will continue to access educational services reasonably and safely. Please know that principals are supporting families on a case-by-case basis and will provide reasonable opportunities for continued learning from home if a student is not able to attend school safely.
- Services from the following employees will be paused for the duration of the strike: Library Support Specialists, SchoolsPlus Community Outreach Workers, Child and Youth Care Practitioners, Mi’kmaw/Indigenous Student Support Workers, African Nova Scotian Student Support Workers, and Assistive Technology Support Workers.
- Pre-Primary Programs will be paused for the duration of the strike, as Early Childhood Educators (Leads and Supports) will not be at work. Pre-Primary children will not attend school. HRCE’s Pre-Primary Leadership Team has created an At Home Learning website for families. This resource includes a number of at home learning activities and daily stories for children. You can find that resource here.
I recognize this work stoppage will cause some disruption. We are focused on minimizing impacts to students and families.
More information will be provided as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your school principal.
All the Best,
Steve Gallagher
Regional Executive Director
Halifax Regional Centre for Education