We support the teachers at Island Public School (IPS), and in particular the three senior teachers who left last Thursday (September 17, 2020). We do not know why they left, and we do not know where they are currently assigned, and we have had no communication with them about these matters. We wish to express:

1. We want our teachers back NOW

We want these three teachers back in their classrooms at IPS immediately. Our children were so excited to be in their classrooms this year, with the familiarity of the teachers they know, who gave them a sense of safety in such uncertain times.

2. They are excellent teachers

These three teachers are excellent in the classroom. These are the kinds of teachers that kids talk about all summer. These are the kinds of teachers that parents rave about to other parents.  Parents of students with these teachers repeatedly report the positive growth and advancement in their kids with these teachers. We want their official employment records to reflect that they are excellent in the classroom, and that they have strong support from parents and pupils to be in the classroom.

3. Management of this move was unacceptable

The timing of this move was terrible for everyone, but especially for the children. For two days the children were thrilled to be back in the classroom with their well-loved teachers, and then everything changed. This chaos and disorder was not helpful for the children’s wellbeing, and certainly must also be stressful for the teachers called in at the last minute. 

We do not know if these three teachers chose to leave IPS voluntarily or not. However, based on our normal start-of-year interactions with these teachers on September 15th and 16th, and our children’s observations on September 17th, we suspect that these three senior well-loved teachers did not leave IPS voluntarily.

If these three teachers left IPS as a result of a management decision, we cannot comprehend why this was not acted upon before the students returned to school. 

It is not just these three classes that have been affected by this move: a fourth class has been dragged in, as their teacher has been moved to cover one of the vacancies. Almost 80 children, or a third of the school, have been impacted and upset by this decision.

4. Additional observations of concern

The following observations cause us additional concern:

• The three teachers who left were IPS’s ETT Union Stewards/alternates.
• The three teachers who left were amongst the most senior teachers at IPS.
• 7 of the 12 classroom teachers at IPS are now LTO (non-permanent). While these LTO teachers are surely excellent, the composition of the staff lacks appropriate seniority to provide them with adequate mentorship.