‘Everyone gets to go to school except your kids’: Parents concerned about strike plans
Parents across the province say they’re outraged after being told some students with disabilities may not be able to attend school as usual if more than 5,500 support staff walk off the job.
Job action would affect roles such as bus drivers, early childhood educators and janitors. Quality of education and wages are key sticking points.
A letter was sent to families on Thursday, Oct. 15, outlining the potential impacts of a CUPE support staff strike.
However, three mothers of children with disabilities say they were shocked and angry to receive calls from school principals saying their children may not be able to attend school as usual because they require additional supports.
‘I can hardly put it into words’
Heather Rose, whose 11-year-old son has Down syndrome and a hearing impairment, says she was told his attendance could be significantly reduced.
“The plan right now is potentially for him to attend school 30 minutes per day. She can’t guarantee it will be every day. She’s hoping they might be able to do an hour at some point.”
Jan Murphy says her eight-year-old daughter has autism, ADHD, a global developmental delay and anxiety.
“Our principal reached out last Friday and shared that Kaya is not permitted in school should this strike goes ahead.”
Jessica Bailey says she was given a “work-from-home package” for her six-year-old son, who does not yet have a formal diagnosis but requires additional support.
“They expect us to teach that, and I’m certainly not qualified,” she says, adding that she worries her son could lose progress made over the past year.
Acadia News asked HRCE for clarification.
HRCE says it “can’t speak to specifics as every situation for individual students is nuanced. Any family who has questions about the potential impacts of job action should reach out to their school directly for support.”
As of Friday afternoon, an email was sent to families from school boards informing that a strike noticed had not been issued, so classes will continue as normal on Monday and Tuesday.
In a statement to Acadia News, Friday, Education Minister Brendan Maguire says:
We know families and school staff are anxious about what next week will bring. To be clear, we have not yet received the mandatory 48 hours’ notice that CUPE intends to initiate a labour disruption, and all school operations are continuing.
Regions and CSAP have also been working to limit the impacts of a labour disruption. This work has included reaching out to CUPE and other labour partners to explore ways to accommodate students who require specialized supports. Our hope is that, in the event of a labour disruption, CUPE and other labour partners will agree on ways to accommodate students with complex needs who would otherwise not be able to participate in school with their peers.
As noted, today is the final scheduled day of discussions with CUPE. We remain committed to supporting the bargaining process and hope these discussions can lead to a settlement that avoids job action and minimizes disruption to students, families, and school communities.
The financial impacts
“I’m a full-time single mom that does not receive child support, so this is really going to impact us,” Murphy says, adding that she feels parents are being asked to choose between their children’s education and their financial stability.
“I will have to take a leave of absence, which will impact my medical benefits. I won’t have coverage for her prescription medication that she needs every single day.”
Rose says that happened to her when a similar strike in 2023 forced her to take a 10-week leave of absence from work, causing significant financial strain.
For Bailey, it’s more than just the extra expense of finding childcare if school isn’t an option.
“Childcare arrangements are difficult because I can’t just send him anywhere,” she explained, noting the extra barriers she needs to navigate in a short amount of time.
‘How do we tell our children that they’re not good enough to go to school?’
“He’s asking, ‘Why can’t I go to school?’ And I’m trying to explain it to him in the nicest way possible, but how do I explain that?” Bailey asks.
She says her daughter, who does not have a disability, would be allowed to attend school as usual, while her son would not.
Murphy shares similar concerns, noting that she has not yet told her daughter about the potential disruption to her routine.
“I haven’t had that discussion because as soon as I do the mental health is going to spiral.”
Rose says she also worries about the social implications.
“Me attending school with him takes away his independence. We’ve been through this before.”
‘Here we are discriminating’
“I know Brendan Maguire’s been a huge advocate in the past for children and their rights to education, and I feel like that is completely reversed. He’s really a man of words and not of action in my opinion.
“It was just last month I saw him on TV speaking about how important this is and that discrimination is not okay, and then here we are discriminating,” Bailey says.
Murphy adds that “parents have been reaching out to Premier Tim Houston and the Minister of Education Brenda Maguire and there are no responses coming back.”
“It is discrimination to allow every other child to attend a full day of school, but tell my child and so many other children that they can only go for a half hour a day,” Rose says. “If that is an acceptable amount of education for him, it should be acceptable for everyone.”
