// Reassignments and Leaves Related to COVID-19
The NBTF and the employer agreed on the type of leaves to be taken related to COVID-19. The following are the different types of leaves that may apply according to the situation:
Leaves to care for a child who needs to self-isolate during the COVID-19 period
Reassignment with pay of teachers who need to self-isolate during COVID-19 period
Long-Term Supply Assignment
Leaves to care for a child who needs to self-isolate during the COVID-19 period
- Family Responsibility Day (Article 32.07), if not already used;
- Maximum of three (3) days with pay (Article 32.03) per instance.
- Maximum of two (2) days with pay per instance of his/her sick credits.
*It is understood that the employer will maintain the right to request appropriate medical information to justify these absences.
Reassignment with pay of teachers who need to self-isolate during COVID-19 period
a) The teacher will be replaced and will not be in charge of the classroom.
b) A teacher, who is required to remain at home due to self-isolation in relation to COVID-19, based on the criteria established by NB Public Health, will be reassigned home with pay for the period of self-isolation. Teachers must immediately notify their supervisor of their absence and its required length.
c) It is understood that a teacher who is directed by NB Public Health to self-isolate and is reassigned home with pay shall request to be tested for COVID-19 and follow Public Health advice.
d) If the test comes back negative, the teacher is expected to return to school in accordance with Public Health recommendations. A teacher who is not feeling well, and is unable to return to school will be considered to be on sick leave.
e) If the test comes back positive, the teacher shall use his/her sick leave until he/she is cleared by a health professional to return to school.
f) While reassigned home with pay, it is understood that the teacher may be expected to work remotely as directed by their supervisor. Examples of remote work include preparation, marking, touching base with a supply teacher, engage in student learning during the hours of instruction to the extent possible, professional development and other assigned duties as agreed between the teacher and the supervisor.
g) Teachers who must self-isolate because they travelled outside the scope of the travel exemptions for non-work-related reasons after travel advisory was put in place will use leave without pay.Teachers who have already taken sick leave or a leave without pay due to COVID-19, the leaves will be changed and teachers will be paid for those days.
Long-term supply assignment
When a long-term supply teacher is required to remain at home due to self-isolation or required to remain at home with his/her child due to self-isolation related to COVID-19, based on the criteria established by NB Public Health, there is deemed to be no break in service. It is understood that the employer will maintain the right to request appropriate medical information to justify these absences.
// Hours of Instruction
The Federation regularly receives questions related to hours of instructions:
– Can teachers be required to be at school earlier than 20 minutes before the commencement of classes?
– Are teachers required to attend meetings after the hours of instruction?You can find the answers to these questions and more by clicking here.
// Class Size
Class size numbers have remained the same since the 2009-2010 school year. Here are the maximum numbers of students for each grade level in accordance with Article 20 of the Collective Agreement:
| Grades | Maximum Number of Students per Class |
| K-2 | 21 |
| Grade 3 | 27 |
| Grades 4-12 | 29 |
| Grades | Combined Classes of Two or More Grades |
| K-3 | 16 |
| 3-5 | 23 |
| 5-12 | 24 |
// Violent Incident Report
REMINDER
In order to ensure that our data reflects the current reality in schools, the NBTF is still looking to gather information on violent incidents that teachers are facing on a daily basis. We would like to remind all teachers that they should take a few minutes to fill out the Violent Incident Report each time they are confronted with such an incident. This information is highly confidential and is for the exclusive use of the NBTF.
Should you have any questions or concerns related to the violent incident report, please contact Monique Caissie by phone at 452-1762 or by email at monique.caissie@nbtffenb.ca.
The Violent Incident Report is available on our Website under the “Forms” section or can be accessed directly by clicking on this link:
http://nbtffenb.ca/en/
