Teachers disciplined for public comments

The Eastern School District has suspended two teachers for speaking out about conditions in their schools.

The teachers who were suspended for a week without pay were among those who spoke at a forum in November about teachers' stress.

They attended a presentation by Memorial University researcher Lynda Younghusband, who unveiled her findings about workloads and stress experienced by high school teachers.

"This is very much being grieved by the union," said Kevin Foley, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association.

"We will defend these teachers as much as we possibly can."

Teachers at the Younghusband forum responded to the research, and some spoke with journalists who covered the event.

• FROM NOV. 28, 2005: Boards grapple with teacher stress research

The event was sponsored by the NLTA.

Foley said there is no article in the teachers' collective agreement that prohibits teachers from speaking openly about their working conditions.

"[If] you have cubicle doors on a bathroom that's been broken and not fixed for a year, or if there's not enough desks for students, or if there's leaky roofs, or textbooks that are 20 years old, and it's not being dealt with, and if you speak about it, you're disciplined," he said.

"Teachers are working in these conditions and they want to speak out. They want to say these things but they can't say them."

Darin King, the chief executive officer of the Eastern School District, attended the November forum on teacher stress.

King said some teachers at the NLTA forum went beyond talking about stress, and were insubordinate.

"I don't think it's appropriate for any employee to be disrespectful and speak out against an employer in public," he said.

"I mean, there's such a thing as positive employer-employee relations, and we can't have three, four, 5,000 teachers running around this province criticizing the employer," King said.

King said teachers can express their concerns to their principals and to the school board.

They will either have to tolerate their working conditions or move on, he said.