World News
Winnipeg School Division agrees to let teachers work from home during COVID-19 suspension
Administrators of Winnipeg’s largest school division have changed their minds on whether to permit teachers to work from home during the period when classes are suspended due to COVID-19.The Winnipeg School Division is now allowing teaching staff report to schools while classes are suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CBC)Administrators of Winnipeg’s largest school division have changed…
Administrators of Winnipeg's largest school division have changed their minds on whether to permit teachers to work from home during the period when classes are suspended due to COVID-19.
Administrators of Winnipeg's largest school division have changed their minds on whether to permit teachers to work from home during the period when classes are suspended due to COVID-19.
The Winnipeg School Division announced Thursday that the majority of the 6,000 educators and staff in the division can work from home from March 23 until April 13.
“While classes are suspended, teaching and non-teaching staff will continue regular duties and professional responsibilities regardless of work location, where those duties are critical to maintain key services of the division,” Chris Broughton, chair of the WSD board of trustees, said in a statement.
“That being said, meaningful work may not be available to all non-teaching staff during the two-week suspension of classes, in which case their supervisors will advise them to stay home with pay.”
The division changed its tune following calls from teachers in the division who wanted the freedom to stay home during the extended break, which was announced late last week by the provincial government.
Michelle Wolfe, president of the Winnipeg Teachers' Association, said Wednesday the Manitoba government had left it up to divisions to decide whether teachers should go into work.
She said WSD teachers were growing frustrated because they were being forced through “quite a few hoops” to get approval to work from home.
Prior to the change announced Thursday, WSD teachers were expected to go in next week and the week after spring break, despite classes being suspended.
Teachers' requests to work remotely during that time were previously going to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Wolfe said teachers believed they should be given the right to work from home due to the benefits of social distancing and other recommendations from provincial health experts.
The Manitoba Teachers' Society lauded the division relaxing work-from-home rules on social media Thursday.
BREAKING: @WinnipegSD rolls out work-from-home strategy! #mbed #mbedu #Winnipeg #Manitoba https://t.co/wOvZ8JMwBi
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