Labour Update: school closures week of Feb. 10

Limestone Learning Foundation
Labour Update: school closures week of Feb. 10
Posted on 02/07/2020
As a result of a planned one-day rotating strike by members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), all secondary schools in the Limestone District School Board will be closed to students in Grades 9 to 12 on Thursday, February 13, 2020. Secondary students should not report to school on this day.
Elementary and intermediate (Grade 7/8 English and French Immersion) schools will be closed Tuesday, February 11, 2020 and Wednesday, February 12, 2020 due to ongoing strikes by members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO). Kindergarten to Grade 8 students should not report to school these two days.

Secondary schools closed Feb. 13

All secondary schools in LDSB will be closed Thursday, February 13, 2020. Students in Grades 9 to 12 should not report to school on this day.

Secondary students attending co-operative education placements and those attending Dual Credit and School Within a College (SWAC) programs at St. Lawrence College should not attend work/school on February 13. 

Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS), Adult ESL and Teacher Assisted Self-Study (TASS) programs will not run on February 13.

All secondary school-related events including sports sanctioned by the Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association (KASSAA), other extra-curricular activities, and field trips are cancelled. These items will be rescheduled where possible.

Limestone intermediate schools (Grade 7/8 English and French Immersion) located within secondary schools including Calvin Park PS, Granite Ridge Education Centre, La Salle Intermediate, Module de l’Acadie, Module Vanier and North Addington Education Centre are open and learning will continue. Grade 7/8 parents/guardians are reminded to report their child’s absence should they choose to keep them home when schools are open.

All Limestone elementary schools, offering Kindergarten to Grade 6 and Kindergarten to Grade 8, remain open.

Child-care centres located within Limestone secondary schools remain open.

Community use of schools within Limestone secondary schools continue as scheduled. Users will be notified directly of any changes.

In Limestone, OSSTF represents secondary school teachers, occasional teachers, professional student services personnel, and community education instructors.

Elementary & intermediate schools closed Feb. 11 & 12

All Limestone elementary and intermediate (Gr 7/8 English and French Immersion) schools will be closed Tuesday, February 11, 2020 and Wednesday February 12, 2020. 

Students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 should not report to school on these two days. This includes K-Gr 6 schools, K-Gr 8 schools and Gr 7/8 schools housed inside secondary schools as well as K-Gr 8 housed in K-12 schools.

Secondary schools will remain open February 11 and 12.

Child-care centres located within Limestone schools remain open. Early ON programs remain open. If in doubt, please contact your provider directly.

Community use of schools within Limestone schools continue as scheduled. Users will be notified directly of any changes.

Teachers represented by ETFO may choose to picket outside Limestone elementary and intermediate schools. They are legally permitted to do so. We ask that those required to cross picket lines be courteous and respectful.

Elementary Report Cards

As shared earlier, elementary students will not be issued term one report cards due to the ongoing provincial labour disruption by members of ETFO.

We know families are disappointed with the absence of mid-year report cards which are normally scheduled for February. It is important to remember that report cards are not the sole record of achievement data for your child.

Ongoing and regular communication between teachers and families occurs throughout the year. As always, parents and guardians can contact their child’s teacher to discuss their progress, or concerns.

It was a difficult decision not to issue term-one report cards; however, during job action it is not business as usual in our schools. Although elementary teachers have submitted marks to administrators, school administrators cannot enter or communicate marks for every student on behalf of every teacher.


The production of report cards for Limestone’s 13,000 elementary students relies on the electronic inputting of assessment data by teachers. This translates into about 300,000 individual pieces of data. Our principals and vice-principals cannot do the work of more than 800 classroom teachers. Nor can this work be outsourced to other Board staff, or external agencies due to the significant unbudgeted cost, and concerns about accuracy and, more importantly, privacy given the confidential information that is part of a child’s report card. 

We thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding as we respond to these events. We are hopeful that the parties at the central table are able to reach an agreement soon. The Board will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

For more information, please contact: Jane Douglas, Communications officer
Communications Officer
613-544-6925 x 311 | 613-328-0916 mobile
Karen Smith, Communications Officer
613-544-6925 x 314 | 613-328-0947 mobile

The Limestone District School Board is situated on traditional territories of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee.