This Thursday, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation announced a one-day, provincewide withdrawal of noon-hour supervision.

The withdrawal of noon-hour supervision means teachers will not be available to supervise students eating lunch at school or participating in noon-hour activities.

Teachers will leave the building during each school’s designated lunch break period. School divisions will inform parents and caregivers of any operational or schedule changes due to Thursday’s job action.

Although teachers often provide lunch break supervision, it is done voluntarily.

The responsibility to provide the necessary level of supervision to ensure school divisions hold student safety.

“A decade of government funding cuts has meant parents in several school divisions are forced to pay out-of-pocket fees of $100 or more for their kids to stay at school over the noon hour,” says Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte. “School boards face the impossible task of balancing government funding shortfalls and the rising costs of services that students need. Students and families are caught in the middle, and I encourage every parent and caregiver in the province to let our government officials know how they feel about that.”

Becotte added that teachers understand that the withdrawal of noon-hour supervision will inconvenience many families.

She added that parents and caregivers concerned about the impact of job action should contact their MLAs and elected school board trustees and urge them to get the government’s bargaining committee back to the table.