The largest protest in human history is taking place in India. The Modi government has passed three bills allowing large multi-national corporations to largely control the agricultural sector. Sixty to seventy percent of the Indian population works in agriculture. Farmer-led peaceful protests have been met with water cannons and violence by police as they march to the Indian capital. Protests in support of the movement haveRead more
We know many teachers are concerned as reorganization is being contemplated in some schools, because some students are returning to face-to-face learning from the blended model. We have heard different reports from different schools around the district about various actions that are being considered. For example, some teachers may be being asked to prepare oneRead more
A reminder to be careful if you use the school district’s Microsoft TEAMS platform for union business and meetings. Although Teams is efficient for holding large meetings, be sure about who is in the meeting, do not record the meetings, do not use the chat feature (which could leave a permanent record of comments), andRead more
At our last General Meeting, we passed a motion to put pressure on for safer schools. Considering this, the STA is starting a Red4BCed campaign to build advocacy and awareness around issues impacting our staff, students and community during this pandemic. To show we need some changes, please consider wearing red in solidarity on Fridays. Your reason for wearing red might be toRead more
Each year the STA budgets so school staffs can claim some costs of snacks for in-school union meetings. Since we can’t be sharing food or even meeting in person this year, the Exec decided the money budgeted for that should be distributed to schools to be used as the STA reps and members in each siteRead more
The policies and procedures of Surrey School District state that a guiding principle is that schools and workplaces be safe and caring for all. All students have the right to safe and private restroom facilities aligned with their gender identity. The STA has asked every school health and safety committee to recommend one gender-neutral bathroom for students and aRead more
The Advocate is a seasonal publication for members. The Advocate contains a report from the President, information from the table officers, updates, and information on current educational issues and issues of importance to Surrey teachers.
