Vacation 1, Students 0

That teachers are finally planning to reconvene virtually this week after a two week spring break that took place in the middle of a pandemic is beyond disappointing.

When the break started everyone was well aware that students would likely not be returning to school after the break. Why then wasn’t the spring break immediately canceled for teachers so that they could spend those precious two weeks preparing for virtual, home based learning? If that had happened, “classes" would no doubt have started this week — as they have in other jurisdictions in Canada.

Where was the NDP government? Where were the boards of trustees for our region's public schools? Where was the B.C. Teachers' Federation?

Whenever the Teachers Federation is in bargaining mode, all that the public hears is that students’ education and well being are teachers’ single most important priority. Well as always, actions speak louder than words, and what the public can conclude from the past two weeks is that even in the middle of a pandemic, vacation time trumps all else.

Those responsible for delivering public school education should be ashamed of themselves. Collectively they failed our children in a time of crisis.

Chris Fibiger