ETFO NIAGARA

The ETFO Niagara Teacher Local represents over 1700 permanent contract teachers and 31,000 elementary students located at 140 sites across the Niagara Peninsula.

ETFO Niagara acknowledges the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples, many of whom continue to live and work here today. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement.

Today this gathering place is home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and acknowledging reminds us that our great standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous people.

Health & Safety
Workplace Violence
Workplace Harassment

ETFO Provincial has a health and safety website, etfohealthandsafety.ca, a resource containing a wealth of information on topics such as workplace violence, infection prevention and control, as well as various hazards that may occur in a working environment.

If there is a concern, it is a worker’s duty to inform their immediate supervisor of the issue. The worker may then be directed by the supervisor to fill out an appropriate form to report an issue. Below is a general overview of the types of incidents that need to be reported and the appropriate form to use: For a general health and safety issue DSBN Employee’s Report of Health and Safety Concern form, a member should fill out the which is available from the site supervisor.

Workplace violence, defined under the Occupational Health and Safety Act as the act of committing, attempting to commit, or threatening to commit an act using physical force that does or would cause physical injury, must be reported. DSBN Administrative Procedure 5-27, Workplace Violence Prevention Program, sets out the legislated reporting requirements for reporting workplace violence. Reporting of serious student incidents is required under s300.2 of the Education Act. The staff violent incident reporting tool can be found in the My Applications column of the Staff Portal.

If a worker is injured or has lost time due to an incident of workplace violence the incident must also be reported through the DSBN’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board procedures using DSBN Administrative Procedure 5-02, Reporting Employee Workplace Accidents. If the incident involves a student, it must be also reported under the Education Act using DSBN Administrative Procedure 3-26, Student Discipline.

Workplace Harassment is defined as engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. It should be reported under the DSBN Administrative Procedure 7-01, OHRC and OHSA Workplace Harassment. There are forms that are available for accessing both informal or formal complaint procedures.

How much supervision time should I have in a 10-day cycle?

As per the Collective Agreement article 18.06 (b), the maximum of supervision minutes for elementary teachers will be 80 minutes within each period of five instructional days or 160 minutes within a 10-day cycle. Scheduled supervision duties include, but are not limited to, yard duty, hall duty, bus duty and lunchroom duty.

How much time am I entitled to for lunch? What if I travel between two schools?

Each teacher shall receive an uninterrupted and continuous period of not less than 40 minutes per day for lunch, free from regularly scheduled supervisory or teaching duties (Article 18.01). Article 18.02 states that you shall have adequate time to travel between locations, exclusive of prep time. If travel must occur during recess or lunch, the teacher will not be assigned supervisory or bus duties beyond the instructional day, except in an emergency.

How much prep time do I get?

As of August 31, 2012, Article 18.03 (h) states that a full-time teacher is entitled to the equivalent of 240 minutes per cycle of 5 instructional days or 480 minutes per 10-day cycle. Prep time is prorated for part-time teachers.

Do I get preparation time on Professional Activity days?

No. Article 18.03 (i) of the Collective Agreement states that Professional Activity Days shall not be considered instructional days for the purpose of scheduling preparation time. In other words, a P.A. day is considered “Day Zero” in the cycle, whereas preparation time is scheduled on a numbered cycle instructional days.

I just finished a course, can I apply for PD Fund reimbursement?

No. You must apply for funding at least one day prior to the start of your course/workshop/conference. Upon completion of the course, submit your statement of expense form along with the required documentation outlined in the PD Fund Operating Procedures.

Does Policy/Program Memorandum #128 Provincial and School Board Codes of Conduct personal mobile device policy only apply to students?

No. PPM 128 (Section 4: Expectations) specifically states, "It is expected that teachers and staff: model the standards of respect civility, and responsible citizenship. This includes modelling appropriate use of personal mobile devices. Educators are not to use personal mobile devices during instructional time, unless explicitly for work-related purposes."