SD27 addresses planning student walkout

From School District #27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin):

Editor's Note - Like Mark Thiessen, I understand students are frustrated over the current BCTF-BC Government labour dispute but they should remain in the classroom...

As you may know, a student walkout being promoted for the morning of Wednesday, June 4, has received a significant amount of media and social media attention. While School District No. 27 respects the desire of students to express their views regarding the current labour situation, the proposed walkout raises a number of concerns particularly with regard to student safety.

This newsletter is to make you aware of the proposed walkout and to inform you that any walkout activities are not sanctioned by the district or by individual schools.

You should be aware that:

• While districts are responsible for the safety of students on school property, student safety cannot be guaranteed for students participating in walkout activities outside school property even if those activities take place during school hours.

• We do not know who, if anyone, is organizing local walkout activities, and parents should not expect those activities to be supervised by school or district staff.

• School District No. 27 strongly encourages students not to participate in the walkout, both to ensure their own safety and to avoid adding further unnecessary and unproductive disruptions to their learning during this already difficult dispute.

We all fully respect the voice of students and their legitimate right to share their concerns, and we do not want to unduly alarm parents or students about the potential risks of participating in the walkout. However, it is our responsibility to ensure parents and students are aware of those risks.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Thiessen
Superintendent of Schools