KPDSB appoints Shawnda Norlock as Superintendent of Student Achievement and Equity
30 Nov. 2022
Job Action in KPDSB Schools
kpdsb schools are not impacted by job action at this time.
Previous job action during the 2022-23 school year
NOTICE TO FAMILIES OF KPDSB STUDENTS - NOVEMBER 18, 2022
CUPE Update - KPDSB Schools OPEN on Monday, November 21, 2022
November 20, 2022
This notice is to advise families that a resolution was reached today between the Government and CUPE. As a result, school closures that were announced on Friday have been cancelled. KPDSB schools will be OPEN to students on Monday, November 21, 2022.
Sincerely,
Christy Radbourne, Director of Education
NOTICE TO FAMILIES OF KPDSB STUDENTS - NOVEMBER 18, 2022
All KPDSB Schools CLOSED to Students Effective Monday, November 21, 2022 - Schools will Switch to Virtual Learning
November 18, 2022
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced that they will be on strike, starting on Monday, November 21, unless a resolution is reached with the Government of Ontario. CUPE members in our school board include custodial staff, as well as maintenance and trade staff.
What this means for KPDSB Schools
Given this announcement, the difficult decision has been made to close our schools to in-person learning effective Monday, November 21, 2022, if a resolution is not reached before that time. The safety of our students is our top priority and the arrival of winter weather coupled with ongoing staffing challenges were both factors in the decision to close schools to students at this time.
Families should make alternate arrangements for their children beginning Monday, November 21, 2022, until further notice. We will confirm the closures with families by email on Sunday, November 20, 2022, by 4:00 pm CST/5:00 pm EST.
Switching to Virtual Learning
Students in grades 4-12 will be taking their devices home with them at the end of the day today. Families of students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 who require a school provided device or families who need to make special arrangements to pick up a device for their child should watch for information directly from their child’s school.
Monday, November 21 will be asynchronous learning meaning there will not be live online classes. Virtual learning activities can be found at this link - https://www.ontario.ca/page/learn-at-home. Synchronous learning, meaning learning online with their teachers will begin on Tuesday, November 22.
Support for Internet at Home
Schools will be gathering information from families and Wifi hotspots are being prepped for those families who do not have access to the internet at home. Should your family require a wifi hotspot, please ensure you let your child’s school know. We will do all we can to get hotspots ready as quickly as possible as we know these are essential for students who do not have internet to participate in virtual learning. When the hotspots are ready, your child’s school will notify you directly and make arrangements for you to pick them up.
Chromebook Resources
The following resources for remote learning are available to support families:
- Introduction to Chromebooks (video) - https://www.wevideo.com/view/1708312934
- How to connect your Chromebook to home WiFi (video) - https://www.wevideo.com/view/1846864388
- Overview of Google Classroom for Families with Younger Students (video) - https://www.wevideo.com/view/1860147270
- KPDSB Chromebook Support (website) - https://sites.google.com/k12.kpdsb.ca/kpdsbdevicehelp/home
Mental Health Support and Resources
Families can access our board website by clicking here to find ways to connect to mental health resources and supports.
In the event families need support in accessing mental health services for students who are experiencing or could be expected to experience mental health challenges during this time please email us at mentalhealthsupports@kpdsb.ca or email FIREFLY at intake@fireflynw.ca or call 1-833-696-5437. Should you or your child be in crisis and need immediate support, please click here for outreach numbers.
NAN HOPE, Nishnawbe Aski Mental Health and Addictions Support Access Program is also available 24/7, for any Indigenous families or youth from any of the 49 NAN First Nations. The service can be accessed by calling 1-844-NAN-HOPE. Families can also access the program by clicking here.
In addition, students and families can access further mental health resources, including Kids Help Phone, which offers 24/7 counselling and referral services across the province. To use this free resource, youth can call 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868. School Mental Health Ontario also has a number of great resources for students, parents and families on their website at www.smho-smso.ca
School Bus Transportation
Individual school boards are impacted by CUPE job action differently depending on if they have CUPE staff at their Boards and which employee groups they represent. School buses will be running for different school boards. As always, KPDSB students cannot use school bus transportation for non-school purposes.
We know that school closures present numerous challenges for families. We remain hopeful that a resolution can be reached before Monday, November 21, 2022.
Sincerely,
Christy Radbourne, Director of Education
NOTICE TO FAMILIES OF KPDSB STUDENTS - NOVEMBER 7, 2022
CUPE Staff to Return to KPDSB Schools and Buildings on November 8, 2022
November 7, 2022
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced today (Monday, November 7, 2022) that the ongoing province-wide political protest that began on Friday, November 4, 2022, will end and CUPE workers will return to job sites tomorrow (Tuesday, November 8, 2022).
This means that all KPDSB schools will remain open to students and staff and will operate as usual going forward.
We wish to thank our students and families for their understanding during the political protest. We look forward to welcoming our CUPE staff back to our schools and buildings.
NOTICE TO FAMILIES OF KPDSB STUDENTS - NOVEMBER 4, 2022
Update on CUPE Political Protest - All KPDSB Schools OPEN on Monday, November 7, 2022
Friday, November 4, 2022
As you may have heard, CUPE has indicated that the province-wide political protest that started today (Friday, November 4, 2022) will continue until further notice. The Ontario Ministry of Education has asked school boards to make every effort to keep schools open for as many students as possible.
Here at KPDSB, we have put contingency plans in place and will do all we can to keep our schools open. However, we strongly urge families to begin making alternate arrangements for their children for next week should the political protest continue and we have to start closing schools.
At this time, all KPDSB Schools will remain OPEN to students and staff on Monday, November 7, 2022. Our ability to safely keep our schools open will be reassessed day by day going forward. Further communication will be sent to families on Monday to advise on if schools can remain open past that. Should schools have to close, we will move to virtual learning.
Student safety remains our top priority. We will share any new information as it becomes available.
Notice to Families of KPDSB Students - November 1, 2022
CUPE Gives Notice of Province-wide Political Protest on Friday, November 4, 2022 - KPDSB Schools will Remain OPEN to Students and Staff
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
As you may know, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is currently engaged in provincial labour negotiations. CUPE members in our school board include custodial staff, as well as maintenance and trade staff.
On Monday, October 31, CUPE gave notice that they will be commencing a province-wide political protest on Friday, November 4, 2022. While this is a provincial issue, it will affect our schools.
What does this mean for KPDSB Schools?
At this time, should CUPE members go forward with the planned province-wide political protest on Friday, November 4, 2022, all KPDSB schools will remain OPEN to students and every effort will be made to lessen the impact on them. Central Non-Union staff will be deployed to schools on Friday, November 4, 2022, to provide additional health and safety support. Families should be aware that should CUPE workers remain off the job for longer than one day, school closures may be necessary.
As a Board, we respect our CUPE staff and greatly value the work they do in our schools. Student safety remains our top priority and we will continue to monitor the situation and its impact. We will share any new information with families as it becomes available.
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