Union representing educational assistants at Hamilton school say they have been ‘forgotten’

A Hamilton educational assistant made the decision to switch from providing in-person to virtual support for his students as the province announced on Tuesday it would further extend school closures for most - but not all - Ontario students.

I feel like the main priority of school boards right now should be keeping their staff and students safe," said Robert Mines, who has worked at the Glenwood School, designated for students with exceptionalities. We do not feel safe right now."

The union representing more than 900 educational support workers in Hamilton says members are concerned for their safety - and that of their students - as schools in southern Ontario remain open for students with special needs.

The members are terrified. They're afraid they're going to get COVID, they're afraid they're going to give it to their family," said Susan Lucek, president of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE) Local 527, which mainly represents educational assistants. We feel like we are being used as respite care."

The Ontario government announced Tuesday it would extend remote learning for all students, except those with pervasive needs, defined as severe physical, medical and cognitive, among other, challenges.

Currently, there are approximately 340 students learning in-person - with more than 330 staff supporting them - at 44 Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) elementary and secondary schools across the city.

In the Catholic board, there are about 230 learners and about 360 educators, including teachers, support staff and principals, in 38 elementary and all seven" high schools, chair Pat Daly told The Spectator.

Lucek said the narrative that schools are closed is misleading.

All of the schools have been open since September," she said. It's misinformation that they're closed. They're not."

She said her members appreciate the challenges that parents face supporting kids' learning from home.

We want to help these students, we want them to succeed," she said. But when is our health going to trump education?"

Mines said he felt safe going into school in September when the COVID-19 numbers were relatively low. But now, with record-high case counts in the city, he is concerned about safety.

And I think that means currently, until the numbers are decreasing again, that students with exceptionalities and special needs should be staying at home because a lot of them are medically fragile," he said.

Glenwood closed on Thursday after a student tested positive for the virus.

It was just inevitable, I would say, this was going to happen," Mines said. Especially because it's so hard to detect."

He said despite small class sizes - about seven students in his Glenwood class - physical distancing is almost impossible, he said. Not all students can wear masks, and many require one-on-one support and personal care.

The struggle with special needs students is that oftentimes it's hard to know if they're holding symptoms of being sick or if it's just part of their exceptionality, and they have no way to communicate that with us, for the most part," he said. It's very hard to tell if they have an upset stomach because they're sick or if they're just not having a good day."

In an Jan. 7 letter addressed to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce, COPE Ontario asked the provincial government for pandemic pay" for its members, along with immediate access to COVID testing upon exposure," technology supports and restructuring to support increased virtual education.

We, as education workers, are forgotten," the letter reads.

Amanda Zavarella said she is very fortunate" to be working remotely and safely from home.

Zavarella, a child and youth care practitioner with the HWDSB, said the union has told her members could be redeployed" to schools that are short-staffed.

She said she feels both the province and the board are sending educational support workers into really unsafe situations" where they are unable to physical distance.

It's almost like education workers are those forgotten voices, those voices that are not being heard," she said.

Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Her work is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com