File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / devonFile photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / devon
Midwestern

OSSTF asking provincial government to come up with back to school plans ASAP

The Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation have told the Province they want to see a solid plan for re-opening schools in September sooner than late August.

District 8 OSSTF President, Maureen Matchett, says when announcements are made at the last minute, there's a whole series staffing groups and decisions that have to be made.

"When the announcements are made at the last minute, there's a whole series staffing groups and decisions that have to be made that take more than just a few hours. We have bus companies that have to find divers, we have bus companies that have to figure out the routes."

So, she says, when the government makes a decision at the very last minute, they're forcing the boards and the principals to make last-minute decisions.

"So when the government makes a decision at the very last minute, they're forcing the board and the principals to make last-minute decisions that, maybe, with cooler heads that had a little bit more time, might have made slightly different decisions."

Among the Federation's other requests is that class sizes be reduced and Matchett says smaller classes are always more beneficial for students in their learning environment and their teachers.

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