Inclement Weather Code

On days when the weather is bad and you don’t feel safe travelling to school, you have access to the inclement weather code (in your collective agreement). This code was negotiated when the board would not agree to close schools on days when they cancel buses. 

When you use the code, you must ensure you have one of your five medical/dental/urgent/personal days. It is best to keep track of your 5 days to ensure you have days available prior to using the code. The best place to review absences is in SmartFind Express (SFE), as it takes a few weeks to roll over into ESS on MySite. We also suggest taking screenshots so you have proof that you had one of your five days available to you. 

If you do not have any of your 5 days available to you and you use an inclement weather day, you will not be paid for taking the day. 

Under the contract, a teacher shall be granted this day. Unfortunately the board is treating this as part of their management rights to police this when it is used on days where buses are not cancelled.  They seemed to have the time and resources to identify areas of the city where they deemed the conditions were safe to get to school and asked teachers to explain why they needed to use the code. After discussions with OECTA, they recognized that they have teachers who live in Niagara, Brant Haldimand Norfolk and other areas where on this particular day there were cancellations and closures.  There was a commitment to consider where teachers live,  prior to sending out emails in the future.  We weren't satisfied with this, but it was an improvement.

We trust that all teachers will exercise good judgement when making the decision to utilize the inclement weather code.  Sadly, photo evidence in this case may be necessary to have if you end up being contacted about your use of the code. Does this seem to be a "little much"? Well no. In one instance a teacher who lived in Hamilton, decided to use the code when their spouse fell on their driveway attempting to leave for work and their neighbour's car ended up on their lawn when they tried to leave for work. The board deemed their use of the code to be inappropriate and stated that if the teacher had still attempted to drive to work, they would have found the roads to be clear/safe for travel. We aren't aware of the board having hired a meteorologist nor investigators that drove the entire city to document conditions in every neighbourhood but when it came down to it, they did not trust their employee was telling the truth. Document, document, document.

Email Inquiries From the Board

Recently we had over 40 of our teachers receive an email from the board questioning their use of medical/dental appointment days.  This is not a thing!! You should should never be asked to explain their use or substantiate their use unless there are extreme/extenuating circumstances. You would always do so in collaboration with OECTA. 

The board has indicated this occurred due to a misunderstanding and committed that they would not be scrutinizing basic use of medical/dental days.

Naturally, when we are told we have used our days inappropriately, we want to defend ourselves. We are asking that you do not send an email response to any inquiries asking you to explain yourself. First, wait to see if OECTA sends out an email response to guide what your next steps are. Then, reach out to the office if you are unsure how to respond. Situations can be unique and require slightly different responses, so there may need to be different responses depending on circumstances. Finally, do not provide personal/medical information freely in emails or phone calls with the board.  We are always here to help! When in doubt, reach out.

Wishing you a joyful last few weeks! We do so much to set the stage in our classroom and this is often a time when we can breathe a little and enjoy our students and seasonal activities together. 

Take care, 

Alison Coyle
1st VP, Lead Negotiator/Contract Manager