High school teachers won’t take part in one-day strikes in December, but they are going to boycott all extracurricular activities, the head of their union has announced.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said its members — which include public high school teachers as well support staff in some public, Catholic and French boards — will stop participating in after-school activities starting Mon., Dec. 10 at the latest.

Speaking to reporters, President Ken Coran said he knows the activities “are very near and dear to a lot of students and a lot of parents, and to our members, and to the system. We are hopeful that the public will see what we are trying to do is best for the students” by pushing the province to repeal the bill, which has caused “chaos” in the system.

Ontario student leader Hirad Zafari called it “upsetting news.”

“I’m truly appalled that they’ve decided to take this route,” said Zafari, a Don Mills Collegiate student who is president of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association. “The teachers I’ve spoken with don’t want to cut extracurriculars, they never wanted to put students in this position.

“There’s no justification for this. This is the worst thing that can be done in terms of the impact on students.”

Zafari said that volleyball and basketball will be particularly affected in the Toronto District School Board, as well as hundreds of clubs and activities.

He is involved in DECA, an international business competition, and in the midst of important after-hours practices with teachers for the finals coming up in February.

Without that practice, they will be at a huge disadvantage, he added.

For students in at-risk communities, “sports can act as the difference in terms of the path they take in the future.”

Coran said teachers will also report to work just 15 minutes before the start of the school day, and leave immediately after classes. As well, the union will soon poll all members to gauge support for a political protest sometime in the future that would involve walking off the job.

Up until now, high school teachers had largely stopped doing administrative-type work — such as sending attendance sheets down to the office — and also refused to fill in for absent colleagues or talk to parents after-hours.

But the union had given no direction on extracurriculars, and many schools have continued to offer sports and clubs.

Earlier Monday, Education Minister Laurel blasted Ontario’s public school teachers’ unions for planning strike action that would hurt students.

“I say to them, ‘If you want a fight instead of a fix, then take your fight to the courts and keep the kids out of it,’ ” Broten told reporters Monday at Queen’s Park about escalating job action by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, which has threatened one-day strikes throughout this month.

“I’m growing increasingly concerned over the direction the leadership of OSSTF and ETFO is taking their members,” she said, attacking the unions for choosing to “threaten strikes and spread disinformation.”

“Local bargaining has been suspended and ratification votes on locally negotiated agreements are being cancelled by the OSSTF leadership. The OSSTF leadership is determined to undermine any local bargaining and is now focused exclusively on strike action.”

Still, Broten admitted the high school teachers’ union has been more co-operative than the primary school teachers’ guild.

“Let’s not forget ETFO was only at the table for one hour and left, determined to undermine any and all bargaining for the past nine months,” she said.

“This has been and will continue to be about the refusal of union leadership — not our teachers — to accept a real pay freeze. It’s the union leaders — not our teachers — who refuse to accept our shared fiscal realities,” she added, referring to the province’s $14.4 billion deficit.

However, while union locals have hammered out deals with individual boards — which were then approved by Broten — high school teachers in York Region, Niagara and Hamilton voted them down.

At the Upper Grand board, where teachers did ratify their agreement, they have accused their union of not following proper voting procedures, which it is now investigating.

Last week, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario announced its members would begin to stage day-long strikes this month, likely starting next week, as they too escalate their job action against the provincial government.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Broten repeated her warning that the government could curb any strike action even before Bill 115’s provisions take effect Dec. 31 through a cabinet order-in-council.

But Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton), whose party backed the legislation freezing wages, curbing benefits, and limiting job action, said the Liberals must act sooner than later.

“This is December, a very busy month. We celebrate Hanukkah, we celebrate Christmas, a number of other traditional and religious holidays and it’s a very expensive month and we need one less headache for our parents as we go into this season, not more headaches that the minister and her government are creating,” said MacLeod.

Along with Coran, several school boards have called on the government to repeal the controversial legislation that has sparked teachers’ anger, but Broten has said that is not going to happen.

She is still urging the unions to bargain local deals by year’s end.

MacLeod accused an “out-of-control” union leadership of holding the province “hostage.”

“A group of unaccountable union leaders are intent upon rolling walkouts, work to rule, and naming and shaming those teachers who are dedicated to their students and want to do more, including sending children for diagnostics for potential learning disabilities. This is unacceptable to Ontarians.”

Apart from the strikes, elementary teachers have ramped up job action, and on top of cancelling after-school clubs they are now starting to cancel all field trips — including those already booked.

The union has warned that every elementary school in the province will be hit by the strike sometime this month.

NDP MPP Peter Tabuns (Toronto Danforth) said the Liberals have “created turmoil in classrooms across Ontario” and sparked “an expensive court battle that will cost Ontario millions.”

“The government’s created a crisis and it’s students and parents that are paying the price,” said Tabuns.

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan noted the government has “given ourselves the power under Bill 115” to avert any job action.

“I would ask them to reflect on what (Catholic teachers’ union) OECTA has done and what the French-language teachers have done, AMAPCEO have done, the doctors in principle . . .” said Duncan, referring to other employment groups that have effectively accepted wage freezes.

“It’s very much about the kids. We’re borrowing money at 30 years right now,” he said, referring to the terms of repaying loans. “Those kids in elementary school will be paying that debt.”