Teachers will vote on a plan of action — which includes withdrawal from extracurricular activities — in response to Bill 22.The BC Teachers' Federation created the action plan after three days and evenings of debate at the annual general meeting that wrapped up Tuesday, according to a BCTF news release.After all district spring breaks are finished, teachers will weigh in on the plan during a provincewide vote on April 17 and 18.According to Comox District Teachers' Association president Steve Stanley, refraining from extracurricular activities is one of the possibilities that will be voted on, and he said this vote will not be one teachers take lightly."This is the toughest one for us. It's why we've stayed away from it in any job action so far this year. It's tough, I mean you have to look the kids right in the eye and say 'I'm sorry I'm not going to coach you this year,'" he said. "It's going to be disappointing to kids; it's going to have direct impact on them."Stanley also said that he believes Bill 22 will increase teacher workloads "dramatically" making it difficult for teachers to have time and energy left for extracurricular activities.However, he said the BCTF would encourage teachers who want to continue volunteering their time towards these activities to do it in the community rather than at school."Then kids will still have the access to it and teachers who are passionate about it can still do it, but not through the school system," he explained.A vote on a full withdrawal of services is a possibility in the future, according to the BCTF release, but Stanley said it will not be voted on at this time."The possibility of a full walkout is something that could be brought for a vote — not will be, but could be — at a time in the future, and possibly in the summer or possibly in September of next year," he explained, adding that some teachers have brought forward the idea for a walkout but the financial consequences for walking off the job are too stiff for most teachers.According to Stanley, teachers will issue report cards when classes end in June, and elementary schools will just receive one year-end grade as normal.However, Stanley said teachers in semester-based schools do not intend to issue report cards for the end of the first semester. He said teachers consider that duty under 'struck work' and they may consult the Labour Relations Board regarding this matter.He said teachers could give the grades to school administrators to compile, but isn't sure what will happen.According to the BCTF release, teachers will mount a legal challenge to Bill 22.Stanley called the Education Improvement Act unconstitutional, and said it includes everything that was in Bill 27, which was found, along with Bill 28, to be unconstitutional by a Supreme Court judge last spring.However, the legal battle over those bills went on for nearly a decade.writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com
