Monthly Archives: April 2016

Asbestos in aging school buildings

April 26, 2016

On April 26, 2016, ETFO issued this press release:

Aging school buildings prompt the Elementary Teachers Federatino of Ontario (ETFO) to join call for national ban on asbestos

With asbestos in aging school buildings a leading health concern, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has added its voice to the call for a national ban on asbestos.

The call by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) for a ban on asbestos coincides with the April 28^th National Day of Mourning, which commemorates workers who lost their lives or became sick or injured due to their work. Asbestos is the number one cause of occupational death in Canada, with more than 2,000 people dying every year from diseases caused by exposure to asbestos including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Deaths from mesothelioma increased 60 per cent between 2000 and 2012 according to the CLC.

“We are concerned for our members, students and school communities as asbestos-containing materials such as ceiling tiles and pipe insulation can be present in aging school buildings within view and within reach,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “The intense activity in classrooms, hallways and gymnasiums can contribute to asbestos disturbance and put the school at risk.”

In 2014, the ETFO MOU Task Force on Health and Safety Report and Recommendations included a recommendation that the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education work with stakeholders to develop a provincial asbestos guidance document for school boards to manage and mitigate the risks of airborne asbestos exposure in schools. The Task Force report was developed by ETFO and the Ontario Public Supervisory Officers’ Association (OPSOA), with technical support from the Ministries of Education and Labour.

“It also makes practical sense for Ontario to develop a mandatory requirement for a public registry of asbestos in public buildings such as schools and hospitals,” added Hammond. Saskatchewan established such a registry in 2013.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 78,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province.

Ceiling tiles collapsing in one Ontario school

April 22, 2016

From a Grade 7/8 Teacher in Ontario:

I’m sharing a couple of photos from the Ontario elementary school where I am a teacher.

The first photo shows a gap in the ceiling of our Common Area where the tiles became bloated and then collapsed over a year ago due to leaking after a heavy rain.

The building roof has been patched in places, but this particular site continues to spring a leak whenever there’s significant rain. The last time this happened, a Grade 8 student matter-of-factly put out a bucket under the leak and then went about his business as though a leaky roof is to be expected in an Ontario school!

The second photo shows a similar gap in the Grade 8 classroom and lunch room.

We also experience leaks in our kitchen and musical instrument storage, risking damage to expensive and much-needed equipment. Water-stained tiles throughout the school mark the legacy of a leaky roof. The roof has been patched repeatedly over the years, but the filthy tiles remain.

Our wonderful, supportive parent council and Principal have tried to draw attention to this issue with the powers that be. Our teaching staff and students get on with their daily business with considerable good humour and aplomb. I think it is a shame that these are our working and learning conditions. We have great caretakers who do all they can just to maintain the day-to-day cleanliness of the classroom floors, hallways, stairwell and bathrooms.

Parents, students and visitors frequently comment on the disrepair in our schools. They wonder aloud about the possibility of mold, given all the evidence of longstanding water issues. It’s embarrassing and reflects poorly on our school! Some less informed folks have even made remarks that suggest that the fault lies with the teaching staff. This is unfair and hard on morale as we work hard to run a program that we can be proud of.

The worst part is that in terms of our facility, I know that we are actually quite lucky compared to other schools I’ve visited.

I hope these photos help shine a light on the issue of maintenance and crumbling infrastructure so that changes can be made to the funding formula and real improvements can be made to schools across our our province.

A 5-year leak in one Ontario school

April 20, 2016

The roof at this school has been leaking for well over five years. The bucket in this photo is a routine fixture at the school.

School conditions matter. They impact student achievement, the health of students and adults who learn and work in these buildings, and they impact attendance.

As voters and citizens, we must convince the provincial government to prioritize the issue of disrepair in Ontario’s schools. School boards have not been receiving close to sufficient money to ensure our schools are kept in a state of good repair. Let your local MPP know that school conditions matter to you!

A picture is worth 1,000 words

April 18, 2016

2-million children attend publicly funded schools in Ontario. Many of these schools are crumbling and do not provide an optimum learning environment for children.

Please email Fix Our Schools photos of disrepair in your local schools. A picture is truly worth 1,000 words!

The first step in fixing a problem is acknowledging there is a problem. Your photos will ensure that the problem of disrepair in schools is
acknowledged and help move us towards finding solutions to Fix Our Schools!

What makes Premier Wynne take action?

April 10, 2016

On April 4, 2016, Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne took quick action on a few fronts:

Premier Wynne came out on the steps of Queen’s Park in an unprecedented move, vowing to work with Black Lives Matter protestors on a review of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) by the provincial government. Why? Because there had been several weeks of very public protests, including an ongoing demonstration outside Toronto police headquarters and an April 4 march to Queen’s Park by 150 Black Lives Matter protesters.

Premier Wynne also vowed to ban corporate and union donations, ending her government’s party’s practice of “cash-for-access” fundraising. Why? Because there there had been several weeks of consistent and embarrassing media coverage. Media had revealed how Wynne’s party frequently holds unpublicized, small-scale fundraisers in which corporations and lobbyists, some of whom do business with the government, pay thousands of dollars for exclusive access to Premier Wynne and her cabinet ministers over cocktails.

The lesson here? If we want to see our children’s schools fixed – we must mount more pressure on Kathleen Wynne and her government. How? We need more media attention on this topic and we must let our provincial MPPs know that we expect action on this issue.

What can you do?

Send us photos of disrepair in schools – or videos! A picture is worth a 1,000 words.
Share personal stories about how disrepair in schools is negatively impacting your children.
Email or call your MPP to let them know you expect the provincial government to take action to Fix Our Schools.
Ask others to join Fix Our Schools, either by signing up for emails at www.fixourschools.ca/joinus/ and/or by following us on Facebook

April 5, 2016 is Healthy Schools Day in Canada!

April 4, 2016

What is Healthy Schools Day?

Healthy Schools Day in Canada launched in 2009 by twelve national and provincial organizations. It gives citizens, students, teachers, organizations, school boards, and all Canadians, a specific time to focus on school buildings’ indoor environment quality to benefit the health and learning ability of our country’s school children, and protect the health of workers in Canadian schools.

CASLE (Canadians for A Safe Learning Environment) has been doing amazing work, predominantly on the east coast in Canada, for 25 years to ensure safe, healthy schools. This organization continues to coordinate Healthy Schools Day in Canada.

Why is a National Healthy Schools Day Important?

Many schools have problems linked to indoor air quality.
Children are more vulnerable to environmental hazards.
Children spend an average of 30 to 50 hours per week in school.
Staff spend even more time in their school workplaces.
Poor indoor environmental quality is associated with a wide rage of problems that include respiratory illnesses and poor concentration leading to poor learning. Athletes need clean air in order to achieve their best and so do students!
Asthma studies show up to 13% and in some areas 17% of school age children have asthma, the leading cause of school absenteeism, accounting for thousands of missed school days each year, and high costs to the medical system.
There is no longer any doubt. Many studies have found positive health impacts from improved indoor air quality.
Children attending schools in good condition score 5 to 10 percent higher on standardized tests than students who attend schools in poor condition.
Studies show that resources put into improving indoor environment quality have a rapid pay back.
Our Country’s school boards commonly make very difficult decisions between cutting back much-needed academic programs vs. cutting back on needed building maintenance.
Healthy new and existing schools provide cleaner air, improved lighting, and reduced exposures to toxic substances, and provide a healthier and safer learning environment for children, and improved academic achievement and well-being.
Federal and provincial governments have demonstrated interest in this important issue by developing programs like the Tools for Schools IAQ Action Kit, creating data, information and conferences on school IAQ; and are working to provide healthier schools every day. Use the Kit in your school!
Our schools have the great responsibility of guiding the future of our children. Our children are our country’s greatest resource.