File photo.
HURON COUNTY – The president of unionized public elementary teachers in Huron-Perth is waiting for a phone call to confirm whether 1,000 contract and occasional teachers will be in the classrooms or in protest tomorrow.
Merlin Leis, who is president of the Avon Maitland Elementary Teachers Federation, is awaiting the outcome of a hearing before the Ontario Labour Relations Board that was requested by the provincial government in a bid to stop a one-day protest scheduled by members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario across the province tomorrow. The hearing was scheduled for 3 p.m. today in the board’s Toronto office.
“If the injunction is granted, the elementary teachers will be in the schools. If the injunction is denied, we will be holding our one-day protest,” he said.
The school board will post information on its website either tonight or tomorrow morning, said Ted Doherty, who is education director.
“We are doing our best to keep you informed but it is out of our hands and we understand your frustration with this situation. At the time of writing this letter, public elementary schools in Huron and Perth remain scheduled to be closed to students tomorrow, but that may change when the legal decision is announced later today,” he said.
In a notice sent out by The Huron Perth Catholic District School Board, all elementary and secondary Catholic schools in the board will be open and buses will run as usual tomorrow.
