The provincial government's partial lockout of teachers is doing more harm than the union's rotating strikes, according to students who walked out of Duchess Park secondary school Tuesday afternoon.
"We want to support our teachers because they do so much for us," said Grade 11 student Erica Holland.
Holland and her fellow students gathered around city hall instead of attending their fourth block classes. She said they picked that location - knowing it has nothing to do with the labour unrest - because it was within walking distance from Duchess Park and had enough space that the students wouldn't be in the street like if they had congregated outside MLA Shirley Bond's office.
Student protests also took place Tuesday at Kelly Road and Prince George secondary schools.
The B.C. Public School Employers' Association instituted the partial lockouts in response to this week's rotating strikes by the B.C. Teachers' Federation that will see Prince George schools closed on Thursday.
During the lockout, teachers are prohibited from working more than 45 minutes before or after instructional time, are docked 10 per cent of their pay for work not completed and are also restricted from supervising lunch.
Holland, whose father is a teacher, said there was frustration that teachers were unable to offer any instruction at lunch or after school longer than 45 minutes, meaning those who needed to complete make-up tests couldn't do so and marking of provincial exams and report cards would be delayed.
According to the BCPSEA, teachers are "still required to complete all usual evaluation of student work."
"They're expected to do nine hours of work in a six-hour day," said Holland.
There could be consequences for the few dozen students who walked out of Duchess Park Tuesday, but Holland said her father told her that "if there are consequences, take them without complaint."
"Teachers are more important than that," Holland said.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)