Ontario’s public elementary teachers will begin one-day, rotating strikes across the province in October unless the government and school boards return to the bargaining table and progress is made, says a confidential bulletin sent to members.

In the meantime, they’re going to refuse to do extracurricular activities mid-week — on “Wynne Wednesdays,” performing classroom duties only while “wearing a solidarity colour, their ETFO (union) buttons,” shirts or caps, says the memo outlining the ramped-up job action.

In addition, starting Monday, teachers have been directed not to update classroom websites or blogs — key ways in which many communicate with parents — and won’t provide comments or prepare fall progress report cards, which are distributed in late October or early November.

They are also banned from holding parent-teacher interviews about the fall report, unless the teacher “identifies a concern.”

“We’re hopeful that all sides will be able to come to a fair agreement prior to any rotating strikes,” said Ryan Bird of the Toronto District School Board, which was looking into the impact of the Wednesday no-extracurricular plan given cross-country meets in some parts of the city are scheduled on upcoming Wednesdays.

“At this point, the specific details are not known, however once they are made clear, staff will look at how they could impact the board and our students,” he added. “With regards to ‘Wynne Wednesdays’ we’ll do our best to reschedule events, but with 170,000 elementary students and close to 500 elementary schools, it may not be possible.”

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, was unavailable for comment and a union spokesperson said he would not speak publicly about the escalated job action until Monday.

In a statement, Education Minister Liz Sandals said “it is disappointing to hear that ETFO is escalating job action and that the withdrawal of services will further disrupt students’ learning in the classroom. (The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association) and the government tabled a comprehensive proposal to ETFO. It is a proposal that mirrors the deal reached” with the other three teacher unions. “We are confident that an agreement can be reached within the parameters presented to ETFO and we are prepared to resume discussions on that basis.”

Talks between the union and the government and school boards’ association broke down a week ago, after the government and OPSBA said the offer on the table was the same as the deals now ratified by public high school teachers and Ontario’s elementary and secondary Catholic teachers.

ETFO has said it has “unique issues” not addressed in other collective agreements, and asked to continue bargaining, but was told no.

The province has since reached a tentative deal with teachers in Ontario’s French-language schools.

The three-year deals with high school and Catholic teachers provides one extra professional development day, a small salary increase and retains class size and prep time provisions — two key issues for ETFO that the government said were also removed from its offer to ETFO.

Sources have told the Star ETFO is looking for smaller class sizes, especially in full-day kindergarten classes, which average 26 students but where some are well over 30, as well as a slight salary increase over the 1.5 per cent negotiated with the other unions.

Progressive Conservative party leader Patrick Brown said the government’s new bargaining process has “created chaos for children and parents. Parents remain anxious with serious concerns that their children may not be in the classroom,” said Brown, who is also his party’s education critic.

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Elementary teachers are already not planning field trips or fundraising activities, nor any “meet the teacher” nights typically held at this time of year.

With files from Richard J. Brennan