Teachers to strike despite call to move action out of classrooms | 17 May 12 @ 11:46am

A planned teachers' strike will go ahead tomorrow with parents to make alternative arrangements for children

Parents will be forced to take their children to work or make alternative arrangements for their care on Friday morning between 9am and 11am while teachers attend a stop-work meeting.

Most state schools have sent out letters and text messages to inform parents their children should not be at school until after the stop-work meeting tomorrow.

Schools have urged parents to contact their administration offices if they are unsure whether supervision is being offered.

NSW Parents and Citizens Federation spokeswoman Rachel Sowden said that some schools will have minimal supervision.

“Children won’t be doing class work. They may end up sitting in a hall watching a movie,” Ms Sowden said.

“The P and C Federation doesn’t support strikes however we do understand why teachers are striking. It is about our kids. We want assurances from the government on class sizes.”

Teachers and principals will meet at 130 venues across the state to discuss the government’s education reforms including the Local Schools, Local Decisions program, wages and staffing.

Despite the NSW Industrial Relations Commission Judge Trish Cavanagh directing the NSW Teachers Federation to consider rescheduling the meeting to take place outside of classroom time, the federation has said it will go ahead with tomorrow morning’s strike.

Ms Cavanagh also directed the federation to consider a government offer to use its intercom system for the meeting, a suggestion made by Education Minister Adrian Piccoli to avoid disruption to class time. Mr Piccoli offered the use of the department’s connected classrooms system in order to avoid Friday’s strike action.