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MERRITT HERALD THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
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Students walk out to protest labour dispute By Michael Potestio THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
Amidst ongoing strikes and the teacher lockout continuing to plague the school year, some students at Merritt Secondary School (MSS) decided to demonstrate their frustration yesterday. It wasn’t on a grand scale and opinions on the issue varied, but one thing was clear: students want an end to the labour dispute. About 60 MSS students could be seen outside their school Wednesday morning – a handful of the school’s roughly 630 students. Only a few held signs and the atmosphere was rather peaceful outside MSS and the school district office, which is located across the street. Some showed sympathy towards the teachers’ cause. Grade 11 student protester Marijae Pelly held a sign that read “Get an agreement! Stop the lockout.” Pelly told the Herald she decided to participate in the walkout because she feels it’s unfair to both teachers and students that teachers cannot help them during breaks. “Lots of students need help in classes and if we can’t get that extra help, then how are we supposed to pass and graduate?” Pelly said. “Especially near the end of the school year when students are graduating,” Grade 11 student protester Keely Weymouth added. Pelly said she’s been affected by the lockout because she struggles with math and cannot get extra help from her teacher. Pelly and Weymouth said they planned to stay outside the school all day. Grade 8 student protester Tyler Thomson said she feels caught in the middle of the dispute. She also said she isn’t going to
Grade 11 student Marijae Pelly holds a sign of protest to the current labour dispute between the provincial government and B.C. Teachers’ Federation. About 60 students could be seen taking part in a student walkout Wednesday morning outside Merritt Secondary School. Michael Potestio/Herald
choose a side between the two. “I don’t know the whole story about the government doing what they did and all that, but the teachers want something, but they should find a different way to get it because they’re using us and that’s not very fair to us,” Thomson said. One Grade 8 student who didn’t partake in the walkout – and did not wish to give her name – said she would have walked out, but she couldn’t afford to miss any more days of school and had lots of schoolwork to do. Grade 11 student protester Teisha Dunn said she lays the blame primarily on the teachers for the labour dispute. “They’re using us to get what they want and it’s not fair,” Dunn said, adding one day a week in the first two weeks of rotating strikes is
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a lot of school to miss for some. She too said she planned to stay outside the school all day. MSS principal Bill Lawrence said students were not given any instruction regarding the walkout. “We didn’t direct them to or not to, it was kind of an individual choice,” Lawrence said, noting he didn’t recognize it as a valid protest. Lawrence said he questions whether or not the protest was simply an excuse to miss school. “I think if you’re really dying to protest, why not do it when you had your day off [Tuesday]?” Lawrence said. “I’m sure there’s some who have a good heart about it and are actually involved, but I know there’s a bunch for whom it’s just a reason not to be in here,” he said. He also noted the hypocrisy of
students missing more class while being upset over missing class due to the labour dispute. Lawrence said the students are stuck in the middle of the dispute, but questions why a protest wasn’t done around class time. School District 58 superintendent Bob Peacock told the Herald he feels neutral toward the student walkout. “If I disapproved, I’d be out here yelling at them. If I supported it, I’d be out here sitting with them. “I’m in the middle,” he said. “It’s a good thing they are able to express themselves. I just want them to be respectful,” Peacock said, prior to talking to a student who had a sign showing a rude finger gesture. “It’s hard to tell how many kids have walked out and how many kids stayed at home on the day of
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protest as well, but just looking at the crew, most of them seem to be younger kids, lower grades,” Peacock said. “Hopefully the senior kids are in trying to get ready for year-end so they can graduate.” Peacock said he thinks the teachers and the government are both compelled to find an agreement regardless of the student walkout. “I think both sides are truly interested in what’s good for kids and they need to determine what the balance is between the dollars and how those dollars can best be spent to meet the educational needs of students,” he said. Some of the students told the Herald the decision to participate in a walkout was spurred through Facebook.
See ‘Local students’ Page 3