Durham schools could close on Monday

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

Due to the current CUPE strike action, Durham schools will be closed starting Monday until further notice.
The Durham District School Board (DDSB) announced it will be shutting down elementary and secondary schools due to education workers under the arm of the Canadian Union of Public Employees walking off the job.
In a released statement, board officials stated they “share concern and disappointment with this development, and want to share our plans as soon as possible to help parents, guardians, and to make any necessary arrangements.”
All schools will remain closed, while select DDSB child care centres will remain open.
Parents, guardians and caregivers can find more information at https://www.ddsb.ca/en/family-and-community-support/early-years-programs-child-care.aspx  
All board transportation services will be cancelled, and continuing education, ESL and language instruction for Canadian newcomers classes are cancelled.
Continuing education day classes will remain open until further notice.
Board officials say the decision to close schools was being made because they cannot provide “safe and secure learning environments” should a full strike take place.
“We are optimistic that a provincial agreement can be reached to prevent further disruption to our students and families. We will continue to follow this situation closely and are committed to providing students and families with accurate and timely information,” the statement reads. “We will provide confirmation to parents about school status on Monday as soon as we have verified details from some of this weekend’s negotiations.”
Should the strike go forward, more than 130 schools and 70,000 students will be affected.
More information is available at https://www.ddsb.ca/en/labour-action-update.aspx or by following DDSB on Twitter @DurhamDSB.