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Reopening of Schools Action of Nova Scotia Teachers Union for Safe ReopeningThe Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) severely criticizes the government of Nova Scotia for rejecting their demands for safe reopening of schools. The NSTU writes that on September 8, students returned to classrooms for the first time since March when COVID-19 restrictions were put in place. It notes that in spite of promises from government that it would ensure the safety of students, teachers and their families, the final back-to-school plan fell well short of even the public health guidelines that are in place in other workplaces across Nova Scotia. According to NSTU President Paul Wozney, the government held consultations with the union on the plan, but ultimately refused to take the advice of teachers on critical issues. "The key to reopening school safely is reducing class sizes so physical distancing is possible and also ensuring adequate ventilation," writes Wozney. "Unfortunately, Nova Scotia schools reopened without any of those elements in place and instead teachers are standing in front of stuffy, crowded classrooms, just like they were in February." According to the union, since the release of the final back-to-school plan the NSTU, along with other unions and Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education, have been calling for drastic improvements. At a press conference hosted by the provincial Federation of Labour on August 19, Nova Scotia Nurses' Union President Janet Hazelton said Nova Scotians worked hard to keep COVID-19 out of hospitals and suggested a similar approach should be taken in schools. "It was taken very seriously in hospitals and for the most part we knew what was going on and we were assured that all of those things were happening," she said. "I'm not hearing that with the education system which is very unfortunate, because even with all of that the level of anxiety for hospital staff the first month was through the roof." During the month of August the NSTU also launched a #SafeSeptemberNS campaign calling on Government to take the necessary steps to keep COVID-19 out of schools. These steps include: - smaller class sizes In early August, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Zach Churchill angered Nova Scotians when he made the irresponsible suggestion that classrooms lacking proper ventilation should just leave their windows open year-round, and turn up the heat in the winter months. "It's clear to teachers that schools are not prepared to handle a second wave of COVID-19 and that the government's current plan is just not sustainable. Ventilation checks have not been completed. Teachers and students with underlying health conditions have not been provided with proper PPE. There is a bus driver shortage that was not disclosed until after school resumed. And while it's not safe for MLAs to resume work at Province House, students are crowded into classrooms with only a few inches of space between desks," says Wozney. The union says that it is the province's duty to ensure safe learning environments for students and their teachers, but this is not what is happening and the government is rejecting their demands. As a result, the union announced that it will deal with pandemic-related health and safety violations by presenting their concerns and demands under the framework of Nova Scotia's Occupational Health and Safety Act. Ontario teachers' unions have undertaken similar action as part of fighting for a safe reopening of schools, by suing the Ontario government for failing to meet its health and safety obligations under that province's Occupational Health and Safety Act. The NSTU is asking its members to bring all safety concerns to their school's Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee. It also announced that it will be filing a policy grievance over the government's unsafe back-to-school plan. (Photo: NSTU)
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