I spoke to someone today and found out what could be very disturbing news.
If a guardian has a grievance with a teacher, the guardian
must go to the teacher involved first, according to the collective agreement. If the guardian goes to the principal or any other staff, the grievance can be tossed out. I'm told this is in their contract. At first, I didn't think it was really all that bad until I realized that the grievance can be tossed out
permanently and this decision can not be appealed. Why wouldn't the principal or other staff member simply inform the parent of the proper procedure? Doesn't seem right at all.
I understand that not all BCTF locals will enforce this requirement. However, I do know that it is not uncommon. If true, I'm wondering if the collective agreement is legally binding on a parent. I've asked the Ministry for clarification.
Through Partners in Education, I'm learning quite a bit about the lack of rights parents really have at school. And it's disturbing.
If you have had situations like the above, I'd like to hear about them. You can contact me anonymously through the Contact page on our website. You can also give me a call and I'll be happy to take the details over the phone anonymously.
I'm very interested in seeing how this story pans out..
