Teachers picketed in Saskatoon during the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation's second single-day strike on Jan. 22, 2024. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

By CKOM News

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Sask. teachers to withdraw supervision of extracurriculars for one day Monday

Feb 23, 2024 | 10:20 AM

Saskatchewan teachers will be ramping up their sanctions when they return to school Monday.

In a media release Friday, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) announced that teachers across the province will withdraw all extracurricular activities for one day on Monday — the first day back for students after a week off.

Those activities include sports, drama, music, band, science clubs, intramurals, rehearsals, student leadership activities, planning for graduation celebrations, book fairs, and other clubs and activities.

All extracurricular activities that take place before school, during lunch hour, after school and in the evening are included.

Contract negotiations between the provincial government and the teachers’ union collapsed on Feb. 13, prompting the STF to continue sanctions. So far in the dispute, those sanctions have included the withdrawal of lunch-hour supervision and rotating strikes.

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Now, extracurricular activities are being withdrawn, at least for one day.

“Teachers are passionate about the work we do to support students in classrooms and within the school community,” STF president Samantha Becotte said in the release. “We never want to be in a situation where opportunities for students are impacted; however, this government has left us no other options.

“Beginning with a one-day withdrawal of these services is not something that we take lightly. Government needs to recognize the magnitude of the situation they have caused and continue to contribute to, get serious, and return to the table ready to bargain on the real issues impacting Saskatchewan students.”

As well, the STF will withdraw noon-hour supervision on a rotating basis.

On Monday, that action will affect all schools in the Saskatoon Public, Greater Saskatoon Catholic, Northern Lights, Northwest, Prairie South, Living Sky and Light of Christ Catholic school divisions, and at Sakewew High School in North Battleford.

The teachers’ contract with the government expired in August, and negotiations have been strained at times since then. After the collapse of talks earlier this month, both sides accused the other of walking away from the table and refusing to negotiate.

The STF wants class size and classroom complexity included in the collective bargaining agreement, but the government says those issues are best dealt with by local school divisions. Earlier this week, the Saskatchewan School Boards Association sided with the province on that matter.

The union also has raised concerns about violence in classrooms, with teachers recounting stories of abuse at the hands of students. The STF said that’s a symptom of underfunding of the education system by the provincial government.