The Ontario Federation of Labour is dismayed by the Ontario Government setting up a phone line with the express purpose of monitoring teachers providing instruction in the health and physical education curriculum for the 2018-2019 school year.
“This phone line carries an implied threat to all education workers and shows the disrespect our government has for the work that they do,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “Teachers are professionals who have the best interests of the next generation at heart. Subjecting them to surveillance, and the risk of anonymous complaints can only hurt our students and create confusion and suspicion throughout our school system.”
The Ontario Federation of Labour supports the education workers of this province as they strive to provide high-quality, relevant education for Ontario students. The 1998 curriculum is out-dated and does not address a number of important issues for today’s students, including consent, texting and LGBTQ+ issues.
“Our government must take on some of the real issues in education,” said Buckley. “For instance, Ontario’s school funding formula leaves many schools facing shortfalls. Schools across this province need more than $15 billion dollars in repair, thousands of students are waitlisted for educational supports and communities are at risk of losing their schools to closures.”
A strong education system is necessary for our province to thrive. By taking Ontario back to a 1998 curriculum while refusing to provide necessary funding for the education system to function properly, our government is undermining the safety of our children.
The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.
