When schools are closed due to inclement weather, do teachers need to report to work if an activity (e.g. professional development training) had already been planned?
According to Article 16.03 (a), if schools are closed due to inclement weather and an activity was scheduled for that day, teachers are not required to report to the activity no matter where it was to take place.
What is the situation for a teacher who is on leave when schools are closed due to inclement weather?
The NBTF and the Employer have agreed on an interpretation for a teacher who is on sick leave at a time when the school is closed because of inclement weather. If the teacher is in school the day before or after the storm day, then it will be assumed that the teacher would have been at work during the storm day. A sick day will not be deducted in such a situation. For example, if the storm day is on a Thursday and the teacher was absent for health reasons on the Wednesday but is at work on the Friday, then it is assumed that the teacher would have been at work on Thursday (i.e., on the storm day). The day will not be deducted as a sick day.
For any teacher who is on sick leave both on the day before and on the day after a storm day, it is assumed that the teacher would not have been at work on the storm day. That day will then be deducted from the teacherʼs accumulated sick leave.
What about other situations where a teacher had already requested a leave?
If a school closure occurs on a day where a teacher was approved for paid leave (such as Educational Leave, Family Day, Bereavement Leave, etc.), the absence cannot be modified unless there are exceptional circumstances.
For teachers who had requested a leave without pay, it is expected that the day would not be paid. In such cases, the Employer would have already accepted to grant a leave but the condition at the outset was that it would be without pay. Essentially, a storm day cannot make it such that a teacher would be in a better financial position than if the school closure had not occurred.
Are substitute teachers paid during a storm day?
Article 61.08 indicates that a substitute teacher who teaches more than ten (10) consecutive teaching days in the same assignment in a school that is closed due to a storm will be paid for that storm day in accordance with Article 16.02 of the Collective Agreement provided that the storm day occurs during the assignment.
For any questions related to storm days, please call a member of the NBTF administrative staff at 506-452-1736 or 1-888-679-7044.