As students across Ontario begin summer vacation this week, one Windsor school is seeing a large number of teachers leaving.
A small group of parents at King Edward School in Walkerville stood silently on Chilver Rd. Thursday afternoon holding signs in support of 18 teachers and support staff at the school who suddenly announced they would be leaving when class ends for the summer.
Group spokesperson Jennifer Cincurak says the unusually high number of staff departures and the timing of the announcement seems suspect.
"These are teachers who are tenured. They've been here a long time and seemingly have loved it," says Cincurak. "But the culture of the school has changed this year and suddenly all the teachers are leaving."
Many of the teachers and support staff leaving, whose names were written on a banner showing solidarity, have been at the school for a number of years.
Cincurak says there has been some concern with the administration at the school and the way safety issues have been handled.
"There's been a lot of bullying cases where... in some cases parents have escalated it to the board, where action just hasn't been taken," says Cincurak.
The purpose of the protest was to show the teachers in question appreciation for efforts to keep King Edward School a safe and welcoming place for students.
Cincurak says she has received some encouraging feedback from the board, which will revisit the issue later in the summer, but she wants the teachers to know parents are behind them.
"We wanted to still make a voice and to let the teachers know, because the teachers don't know that we support them, because they have been on their own, behind the scenes rallying to their union and the board," says Cincurak. "We want to talk on their behalf even though they can't."
In an email, Greater Essex County District School Board spokesman Scott Scantlebury says staff changes are common this time of year, and states the board does not comment on personnel issues.