FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2002

Why Milk?
The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board has received numerous calls this week from parents as elementary teachers, under the current job action have been asked by their Federation leadership to refuse to collect milk money from students.

“It could be seen as an essential service—good nutrition is very much a part of the learning process,” says Judy Edgar, Chair of the Board. “Principals have been requested to try to ensure the service will continue through the use of a variety of strategies including parent volunteers and older students.”

Chair Judy Edgar reminds parents that, “Our teachers don’t want to refuse students the opportunity of enjoying milk with their lunches. This direction has been sent to our teachers from ETFO’s Provincial Takeover Team and is a part of that team’s escalation in their current job action.”

Parents calling the Education Centre this week are looking for clarification in the issues surrounding the dispute. The key issues are wage parity with this Board’s secondary school teachers and working conditions, centred around the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) Program—a diagnostic tool used by numerous boards in Ontario to determine reading skill level and overall comprehension.

Media contact: Judy Edgar, Chair of the Board, HPEDSB, (613) 332-1480