Editorial — It’s the students who are hurting

May 6, 2015 · 0 Comments

There’s a poster that hangs on the wall just inside the main office at Mayfield Secondary School.
The text deals with such matters as the mission, vision and values of the Peel District School Board.
“At the Peel District School Board, everything we do is designed to help all students achieve to the best of their ability,” reads part of the text. “We have the incredible opportunity to inspire a smile in each student. Our collective daily efforts make a positive difference in the lives of our students, their families and the world. Guided by our mission, vision and values, we build positive places for learning and working together.”
Do you get the impression that things are falling short of expectations this week around the high schools of the Peel District School Board?
The teachers have been on strike, and from what we’ve been hearing from the local branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, it’s going to continue for the time being.
Not surprisingly, there are mixed opinions as to who is responsible for this action. The union is blaming the Board. The Board is blaming the union.
And who is being hurt by all of this?
The students, among others, are being hurt.
True, the students’ families are being hurt as well. Parents send their kids to school for a number of reasons, and one of them is to make sure they have a safe place to spend most of the work day. They aren’t getting that this week.
The taxpayers are being hurt too. They pay a lot in taxes to see these large and well-equipped facilities operating. None of use are getting a return on our investment as the schools are essentially collecting dust this week.
But the fact the students are being hurt is enough of a point to raise.
Late in their academic year, their education is being disrupted for reasons over which they have had no control. Is the school year going to be lost? How long can this strike go on before the year becomes a write-off? How long can the strike go on?
We’re not prepared at this stage to point a finger of blame at one side or another. We just know that both sides let things progress to this point.
Who’s going to solve the problem? It’s going to be the side with enough adult instincts to bring it to a stop.
And since kids are involved, maybe the two sides need to be reminded that among other things, they are supposed to be setting an example.
Some example!