A failing grade is what most parents in New Westminster would give the ongoing labour dispute between the British Columbia Teachers' Federation and the provincial government
But as for their children, many won't have any idea how they performed during the last few months of school. New Westminster school district superintendent John Gaiptman sent a letter out Monday morning saying the job action means there won't be any report cards this month for most students in the district. For students in Grades 10 and 11, the district is waiting to hear from the Labour Relations Board if report cards will be deemed as an essential service, he wrote.
"I know report cards are an important way for students and parents to receive information regarding progress and achievement," says the letter, which the superintendent's office forwarded to media on Monday. "I also know that students and parents regularly receive comments and feedback from teachers that acknowledge student growth and strengths and indicate areas for improvement. When the lock-out/strike/job action is resolved, your child's progress will be communicated. If there are any questions regarding specific course level placement, they will be resolved when classes reconvene."
Gaiptman acknowledged in the letter how "difficult" the school year has been.
"We had hoped that the labour situation would come to a resolution, and that we could all enjoy the end of our school year," he wrote. "It is heartbreaking to see students going into New Westminster Secondary School to write their final exams and hugging their teachers who are on the picket line. Our teachers don't just teach a subject, they become personally involved in all aspects of a student's life. The hugs that I see between teacher and student as they enter or leave New Westminster Secondary School exhibit the importance that schools play in the lives of our children."
Negotiations between the teachers' federation and the government are currently stalled. The two parties had agreed to bring in seasoned mediator Vince Ready to help bring the two sides together, as he had done a couple of years ago, though Ready has said he is too busy to do the job.
Despite months of bargaining and ongoing strikes and lockouts, the two sides are still far apart on critical issues of wages, class size and composition.
Meanwhile as for summer school, Gaiptman told The Record that they expect it will be up and running next month.
"We are of the belief that until we hear differently, summer school is on, so we are planning for summer school," Gaiptman said. "We are treating it like any other year, and we are preparing for summer school. If something happens officially between now and then, that's fine. It'll take a little longer to get started ... because registrations will be late, things like that, but we're going to keep it going."
Summer school in New Westminster is offered to students in high school who need to repeat a class because they have failed or who want to upgrade their mark.
While students in grades 8 and 9 won't have report cards to indicate whether they passed or failed, Gaiptman said any students who were struggling over the first couple of terms will know they may need summer school, and the district recommends they repeat the course.
