Hot Topics

April 2011
Personal Attendance Records
It has come to our attention that staff may not have been reminded to have a daily, personal record of student attendance in their possession during fire drills, lock down, or any other situation in which staff is required to safeguard students. This information surfaced as a result of 2-3 crisis situations in schools. If students leave the school,  are injured off school property, or  commit crimes  when they are expected to be in your care, courts of law will not accept automated attendance sheets. You will be asked for your personal attendance records. This has always been a requirement during fire drills and has become more important with the advent of Bill 157/ Bill 168. Each school may have a different process for ensuring staff have access to personal, classroom attendance sheets but the fact remains teachers are obligated  to have attendance sheets in hand during emergencies. 

Bill 157 Incident Reports - When to Report
The “Safe School Incident Reporting Form – Part I” is available in all schools from the main office. This form reflects legislative requirements under Bill 157 of “all employees of the Board who become aware that a student may have engaged in an activity that must be considered for suspension or expulsion, to report the incident to the Principal as soon as reasonably possible”.  (The only exception could be for staff working directly with a Special Needs student who know the behaviour is not beyond his/her baseline behaviour.)   Remember to keep a copy for yourself and seek follow up if none is forthcoming within a day or two. At the very least the Principal will provide a written acknowledgement (Safe Schools Incident Report Form – Part II) that your report was received and whether action has been taken regarding the incident you reported.   For more information on reporting and responding to incidents, refer to the Ministry of Education’s pamphlet “Keeping Our Kids Safe at School” (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/KeepKidSafeSchool.pdf). 

Fire Alarms and Emergency Procedures
Our schools have had different situations occur that involve out of the normal emergencies.  If a fire alarm goes off with minimal time left in the scheduled school day and the school is still officially in session then the staff should follow the school’s fire plan developed by the school in consultation with the fire department.  This protocol needs to be maintained until the time when the all clear is determined by the fire department. This holds true even if this means a carry over to other periods, lunch or the end of the day. If the fire alarm goes off well after the regular school day had ended. The Education Act talks about acting in loco parentis and it is felt that a teacher has a moral obligation to stay until the emergency is over.  An alternate plan should be developed by administration in conjunction with the fire department.

To quote provincial OSSTF: “Teachers on prep should NEVER leave the school without prior permission nor should they violate the fire safety protocols by re-entering the school for any reason.“

FIELD TRIPS & FUNDRAISING MONEY
On a regular basis we receive inquiries about Field Trips (Policy # 642-Reviewed 2008), number of supervisors required and liability around supervision. All staff should review the policy with regards to responsibilities related to planning trips. Complementary school policies and procedures will reflect Board policy. Inevitably both Field Trips and special events (Fundraising Policy # 676- Reviewed 2009) in schools require the collecting of money. To ensure that you are not held liable for funds, you should take all monies to the office as soon as possible and get a receipt to verify the deposit.  Not following Board /school policy can lead to reprimand and in the extreme, discipline in the form of repayment of funds or even termination of employment.  
 
TO STAR OR NOT TO STAR?
I need to leave the school on my prep period - should I STAR-out?  Your YAPA (prep) period constitutes a part of your assigned time in your school day – it is Board time.  If you need, under exceptional circumstances, to leave the school building during your prep period only, you should inform the Administration and the STAR secretary, but you do not have to record this on the STAR system: since you will not be missing any of your classes, your absence will not have to be “covered”.  Some schools request that teachers arrange their own “swap” of regularly scheduled duties on these occasions.  If you are reporting an absence to STAR because you will be out of the building for a part of the day, only count  the number of teaching periods you will be missing, not your prep/APA period.

March 2011
ALP in your TPA year
The Annual Learning Plan (ALP) provides a vehicle for experienced teachers’ professional learning both during the appraisal year and in the years between appraisals.  According to the Teacher Performance Appraisal Technical Requirements Manual 2010, “In an evaluation year, the teacher and principal must meet to review and update the teacher’s current ALP as part of the performance appraisal process.” The pre- and post- observation meetings provide opportunities for this review to take place. The ALP must be updated on the basis of this review and must take into account the principal’s recommendations from that year’s performance appraisal. Remember that the ALP is teacher-authored and -directed and is developed in a consultative and collaborative manner with the principal. There is a template of an ALP form included in the TPA document but other versions can be used including using the website teachersALP.com which is very user friendly. There is a link to this on our district website.

TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSIGNMENTS AND LEADERSHIP PERIODS
A teacher may accept to do administrative duties of a Principal or Vice-Principal on a short term, temporary basis for up to sixteen days. During this period, the teacher will continue to be a member of OSSTF and subject to all the terms and conditions of the Collective Agreement.  A teacher that holds an administrative assignment for more than sixteen days must have taken a principals qualifications course. While on a long term, temporary administrative assignment the teacher is NOT a part of OSSTF. Be reminded that if a teacher accepts a long term temporary administrative assignment, while on that assignment they shall not gain in seniority but will gain in experience on the teaching grid. At the completion of the assignment the teacher will return to their department at the same school as before the assignment. The teacher will be deemed to have been on a leave from OSSTF and all benefits shall be restored, save the seniority for the time while on a long term temporary administrative assignment. If a teacher consents to have a leadership period in their timetable, the teacher will continue to be a member of OSSTF and be subject to all the terms and conditions, including dues deduction, of the Collective Agreement. Any teachers on administrative assignment are NOT to perform or provide advice related to any personnel matter or performance appraisal of another teacher while in that role.

Faith Days:
We remind members that application for Faith Days must be done by using the Board’s drop down menu which usually appears on BWW at the end of May/ beginning of June. Applications must be made by the end of the third week of September. The 2008 arbitration ruling stipulated that the Board has the right to require use of this tool (and not just the STAR system). Members who may have missed the deadline due to mitigating factors (leave, illness) may be granted their days upon appeal.

Currently, we are looking into several cases for members who have appealed and we will continue to do so. We urge anyone who has received a notice of pay deduct as a result of not following the Faith Day procedure to call our office. We require as much information from members as possible in order to lobby on your behalf. We also urge members to rely only on information re: faith day codes received from the OSSTF office. Although attempting to be helpful, support staff and administrators may not be aware of the arbitration ruling and may give incorrect information. We do not want them to be held responsible for providing inaccurate coding information.

Ontario College of Teachers (OCT)
Provincial OSSTF is keeping a watchful eye on requests from OCT for legislative change which could greatly increase this institution’s powers.  At a recent meeting of all district and bargaining unit presidents, our executive officers noted that several changes being sought by OCT could have a serious impact on “members’ privacy rights”. In some cases, our provincial body feels the OCT requests could violate our rights under the Charter. Remember , OCT was imposed on teachers by the Harris government , “Professionally Speaking” is published by this body and your mandated fees pay for its publications. While teacher representation has increased on OCT over the years, the power still remains very much in OCT’s hands and the provincial OSSTF legal department is looking into 6 key areas at this time:

• Publication bans
• Stay pending appeal
• Reinstatement hearings
• Disclosure of Information
• Providing members’ responses to complainant
• Reporting process related to TPAs.

February 2010
Thinking of Going on a Leave?  -- Know your contract
If you are considering going on a leave or are on a leave of absence from your teaching position make sure that you know the details of your contract in regards to your return to the classroom. A special leave may be granted for purposes of parental leave or for purposes of study or travel or for such other reasons as may seem appropriate to the Board. These contract clauses also apply to consultants, secondments, learning connections positions and other leaves. The contract states “Following the teacher’s return to duty, the teacher shall be guaranteed the same position at the same school provided the leave is for one year or less.” And also states “If the leave is for more than one year, the teacher shall be guaranteed a position with the Board.” This means that any leave that is one year in length or less, upon return to the classroom the teacher has the right to go back to the same school that they left in the same position. If the leave is for more than one year, the teacher upon return to the classroom has the right to a position in the Board but not necessarily at the same school.

New Failure/Credit Recovery Forms
The Board is moving to compliance with Ministry expectations as defined in Growing Success, 2010, that require a Credit Recovery Profile be created for  each student  who fails a course and  is recommended for Credit Recovery programming. A standardized board Course Failure - Recommended Course Placement Form has been developed for use across all secondary schools in YRDSB.  This form replaces various forms that were created at the school level, which were different from school to school.

If  a student is recommended for Credit Recovery, delivered either through the day school or summer school reinforcement program, subject teacher will complete a course-specific Credit Recovery Profile which outlines units, concepts and expectations that were not successfully achieved, as well as additional relevant information related to the student’s learning skills and work habits.

This requires no additional work for the teacher (and hopefully less), as the credit recovery profiles  have been organized into course-specific forms with check boxes to indicate which overall expectations  the student did not meet in the course. These are posted on the bww for you to download and complete (bww >Board Documents > Credit Recovery).  It would be helpful to provide any summative assessments that have been missed to the Student Success Teacher but this is not mandatory.
The Credit Recovery Profiles  are to be implemented immediately and these new forms are compliant with our Collective Agreement (E.4.0).  They offer a way to streamline the process and to have common language throughout the Board. You may be asked by the Credit Recovery Team to fill out one of these forms for a student who failed your course and it is your obligation to do so. 

TPA/NTPA timelines
According to the TPA Technical Requirements Manual, 2010, the principal must sign the Summative Report Form and give the teacher a copy within twenty school days of the classroom observation. This applies to all evaluations whether they are satisfactory, unsatisfactory, or development needed.  Our Board had used different timelines in the past but has decided to follow exactly what the Ministry document says. The teacher must sign the copy to acknowledge receipt and can add comments if he or she wishes. At the request of either party, the principal and teacher must meet to discuss the performance appraisal after the teacher receives a copy of the summative report. If the summative report will indicate an unsatisfactory or development needed rating, the administration is obligated to inform OSSTF and have us present for the delivery of the summative report. As well, in an evaluation year, the teacher must provide the Annual Learning Plan after the evaluation has occurred. Please let the District office know immediately if there has been more than a twenty day gap between your classroom observation and the delivery of your Summative Report regardless of the rating.

Report Comments
This year, YRDSB is in the implementation phase of Growing Success, the Ministry’s Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting policy.  In particular, secondary report card comments are expected to move toward compliance with the Growing Success requirements to include
• what the student has learned as a result of the course,
• the strengths demonstrated by the learner, and
• next steps that the student can take and parents/guardians can support  to continue the learning at home. 
At this point teachers are still allowed to use the Comment Bank, and have the option to write their own comments.  In either case report card comments must meet the criteria above.
When you submit your report card mark and comments, your school administration will review your submission and may require changes.

January 2011
Students putting content of the web about a teacher
Increasingly we hear of cases where teachers’ pictures and/or
names have been posted on RateMyTeachers.com, Facebook, YouTube, and the like. We have had considerable success, when working with Supervisory Officers, getting racist, homophobic, threatening content taken off these sites. Each of these organizations has a policy and if we have proved that there was malicious intent to do harm, these postings have been removed information. Rate My Teacher is the oldest of these sites and is anonymous. Statements such as, “He’s a lousy teacher” or “She should be fired”,  are not likely to be removed. Should you feel you are being threatened or maligned with hateful, racist or homophobic statements please send the link and the concern to us and we will work with the Board to try to have such abusive content removed. 

Adverse Reports: Creating and Maintaining Professional Relationships
 Every person has the right to a workplace free from harassment. Seek to resolve conflicts with colleagues personally, privately, professionally, and directly first.  If this is not possible, consult with your Branch President or call the D16 office to help with the issue. If you go to an administrator with a complaint about a member this is classified as an adverse report and must be followed up on by the administrator. An adverse report is one which can negatively impact a teacher’s employment. School Board policies require administration to notify employees when adverse reports are made against them which may lead to discipline. If you feel the obligation to make an adverse report about another member, you must supply the member with a written account of the report. As per OSSTF Bylaw 5.2.2, the written account must include the relevant date, details and the alleged incidents in the adverse report you made.  Section 18 (1) (b) of the Regulation made under the Teaching Profession Act states that a member shall, “on making an adverse report on another member furnish him (her) with a written statement of the report at the earliest possible time and not later than three days after making the report.” When you hear the beginning of an unprofessional discussion, speak up and stop the discussion or leave the room. When people get in the habit of behaving professionally, we can all feel secure in knowing that we will be treated fairly.

TPA/NTIP process
Being involved in the TPA/NTIP process places a teacher in a potentially stressful situation. Here are some ways that you can alleviate the stress levels.  Be proactive. Go and see your administrator and show them lesson plans, unit plans, accommodations, and other planning material to see if it will be acceptable as you work to organize yourself for your evaluation. Be constructive: consider reworking and modifying your practices to line up with currently accepted Board practice. Be resourceful.  The bww (board wide web) has a number of resources available to help through the evaluation process. These include sample lesson plan templates, sample unit plan templates, assessment resources, design down explanations, etc. Be inquisitive. Ask questions of colleagues to see samples of their work, ask administrators what they are looking for, and ask OSSTF about any timelines or process issues. It is important to keep in mind, as you continue your career as a teacher,  that proficiency comes with practice. We don’t learn to teach. Rather, we learn from our teaching. It is through the professional relationships and conversations that you will have with colleagues, administrators and OSSTF which will expand your knowledge, and continue to refine your expertise as a teacher.

PD- Why not in staff meetings?
Our provincial body has always maintained, as does D16, that Professional Development belongs to teachers. It is expected that time within the workday should be allotted for mandatory training such as Health & Safety/WHMIS, Bill 157/168 all of which is a condition of your employment. Through ALPs members can articulate their personal Professional Development needs and they naturally take advantage of PD offered on the designated PD days. Offering PD at staff meetings, after a long day,  seems counter-intuitive. Members may seem engaged but likely do not retain all that is  offered. If there are initiatives which must be addressed throughout the system , it seems more effective to allot one half day /full day to that subject rather than risk piece meal offerings at 31 different sites. Members however might pay close attention to any recommendations made in NTIP/TPA summative reports as not availing yourself of PD in classroom management might work against you if that was an appraisal recommendation.

December 2010
EASP Re-visited
While we continue talks with the Board regarding the proposed EASP initiative, we have received numerous questions and calls from members about this attendance management programme. Those questions form the basis for many of the concerns we have raised with the Board. We are attempting to get up-to-date information to your Branch Presidents as soon as it becomes known to us at D16. Elements of the programme are being discussed and reviewed at this time. This programme has not come into effect yet and we urge you to call this office if you have doubts about the absence code which you must use. The staff at D16 will assist with EASP issues.

Gossip & Misinformation - Lethal Weapons
Nothing can erode relationships within schools as much as the spread of misinformation and gossip. Everyone, members and employers, are hurt by the repetition of half truths or inaccurate statements. Spreading misinformation gives power to those who  initiate gossip. By engaging in the dialogue we all give it credence  and make a lot of extra work for Branch Presidents, union executive, and employers.  OSSTF has a professional code of conduct  and the maligning of another member breaches that code.  When you hear gossip of a personal nature, challenge it under the code. Gossip damages relationships, causing a ripple within our schools that sets up a barrier to effective problem solving.
“ OSSTF Supports
This .........”
Often you will hear statements at staff meetings or at Subject Head meetings that OSSTF supports, approves or endorses a particular initiative.  The model which has worked well for us over the years has been to be part of a consultative, collaborative model in which we review, monitor, and sometimes offer suggestions to the Board about policy. However we do not write that policy. We cannot alter Ministry of Education / Labour policy. A case in point might be the Growing Success document. We have, after being asked, provided input about the impact and the implications of implementing too quickly before everyone understands the process. Each school is at a different learning level regarding this initiative. Each administrator may have a different focus but our information is only as accurate as the last meeting/memo delivered by the Board. Between those meetings, individual schools embark on their own process as understood by administration. To announce that OSSTF is wrong about process  or that OSSTF has approved any part of the process is simply inaccurate. When such statements are made  a way to check for understanding is to ask for the recent source in writing or to suggest that your understanding is slightly different and you would like to check the facts first. We would all like to believe that everyone within the system has the latest, up to date information on a topic but that simply is not the case. Please call D16 if you have any questions about the many issues being discussed right now; EASP, SEF, Growing Success, Bill 157, or Bill 168. The status within the district changes daily as we continue talks with the Board.

Night School Anyone?
The Board has a new process for hiring teachers and administrators to Night School, Virtual School, Summer School, International Languages, etc – now all under Community and International Education Services (CIES):
•  Vacancies will be posted en masse on bww. 
 Winter Night School positions will be posted in the first week of December;
•  D16 members must apply on-line;
• Board short-lists candidates to be interviewed and creates a Pool of successful candidates (See E.7.0 re: “preferential consideration to District 16 teachers”);
•  the Board offers positions, as they become available, to teachers in the Pool. 
Please note teachers in the Pool have the option to remain in the Pool, but this will not guarantee a position. 
The per person limit of two Con Ed jobs (teaching Credit Courses) per school year will still apply.

November 2010
Subject specific PD day
The November 12th PD day is quickly approaching and with some of the offsite and new workshops occurring it looks like the day will be a resounding success. In order to ensure the continuing occurrence of this day, it is imperative that teachers attend their onsite or offsite workshops for the entire day. As a reminder, the board is looking for attendance to be taken at each workshop throughout the day and submitted to be reviewed and if you do not attend the day or part of the day, there is a good possibility you may have a pay deduction.

TOKW DAY
On Wednesday, November, 3, 2010, grade 9 students across York region will experience a day in the life of an adult - at work. During this time there may be visits from feeder schools and a chance to show incoming grade eights the secondary school setting. Remember if you are assigned a block of time to monitor these students, you are not expected to create a lesson plan for them. It would be most appropriate to use a recent lesson you have already developed and delivered or if appropriate, to use other department or admin resources that have been made available to you.

Do you know your retirement date?
Please make sure to check your pension statement regularly to ensure that there are no surprises as you get close to the day, or what you thought was the day of retirement. We have had calls from more than one member who found that there was a mistake made by OTPP and their retirement date has changed. These have since been corrected, but you can never be too informed about your financial situation upon retirement. It’s as easy as going to www.otpp.com and registering for iAccess or by calling 1-800-668-0105. Once registered, you have access to information such as customized pension estimates, buyback information, retirement options and much more.

Board Time = Board Property
This topic keeps reoccurring and it needs to be reiterated that anything that is created by an employee of the Board on Board time is technically property of the Board. This can be something as obvious as a rubric created for a particular summative, to a lab write up, to something as far reaching as a photograph taken on a field trip or a painting created during school hours. If you are creating something that is intended to be for you, used by you, sold by you or taken with you when you leave the school, it has to be done outside of Board time and not on or with Board equipment.

Growing Success
OSSTF and the Board have been discussing Growing Success from several different perspectives. We have suggested that until such time as Ministry requirements have been clarified, Board Policy has been ratified, and School policies have been finalized, Growing Success should not be a factor in the TPA evaluation process. 

Of course compliance with Ministry, Board and school policies, and with the Board’s Assessment and Evaluation guidelines is expected in relation to the TPA, but there should be no major change in best practices.  If you have a concern or need clarification regarding your Administration’s expectations in your TPA with respect to Growing Success, please contact the D16 office.

Board Email
We continue to receive calls regarding the use of Board email for communication to members by administration. We would remind members that the Board  has the right to expect employees to access YRDSB email for Board related or school specific information. That means crucial information about Faith Days, EASP, or any other Board initiative can be communicated through YRDSB email. Why is this important  to members? When we support members who state they did not receive information , the Board can immediately call up their communications to member accounts.  On occasion, we have been able to show a breakdown in IT services to members but that occurs very rarely. As a precaution, we suggest accessing your YRDSB email to ensure you are informed about important Board/school matters.  Please note that we expect Best Practices regarding email related to your work day to be followed. Hence you should not be receiving email after hours on Fridays or on the weekend which requires a shift in your day or plans for Monday. We also suggest at least 24 working day hours to be the minimum notice for our members during the week.

We would also remind members that OSSTF does not do member business on YRDSB email.

Accident Reports
Any members who have coached teams know that injuries are part of the package deal. Due diligence in following through when students are injured is the expectation. This means that parents are called, administration is notified, and there is evidence that the member took steps to ensure the safety and well being of any student who is injured. There is heightened awareness regarding reporting and members need to make sure Accident Report forms are filled out . At the very least, until such time that the family advises that the student is well, the administration should be kept in the loop to safeguard your position as coach. 

RESPECTFUL CONVERSATIONS
September 2010

You have the right to have respectful conversations with any and all of your administrators. At no time should you be criticized or berated in public meetings or in front of other OSSTF members. At no time should entire groups be spoken to with disrespect . Best practices dictate that you receive notice before a meeting and that once a problem is identified , you have the opportunity to help find a solution if that fits into your role. If you feel uncomfortable with the nature of the meeting state that clearly and ask for a more private setting. Should that request be denied, you have the right to speak with your Branch President or district office personnel about the matter. There may be times when an emergency meeting is necessary but at no time should individuals or groups be demeaned in public.

FAITH DAYS
September 2010

Each year we remind staff that an October 2008 arbitration ruling permits the Board to use the on-line drop-down menu for applications for various faith days. This decision set precedent in many ways for Faith Day decisions across the province. This year the deadline for filing Faith Day requests is September 24. It is crucial that the format be followed given that all employees received a year’s grace to learn the system. We urge any member who is not familiar with the use of the on-line process to seek assistance as soon as possible because not following the process can lead to discipline or pay deductions. Simply “STARRING out “ through the STAR system is not sufficient.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE
September 2010

There are numerous occasions which necessitate a request for a Leave of Absence. Members considering making an LOA request need to make sure they are following proper guidelines as outlined in the contract (Section C ) . There may be deadlines attached to certain requests and members should note that weekly meetings are held at the Board level to approve or deny leave requests. Until you receive written (either email or hard copy) approval from your administrator received from the Coordinating Council of Supervisors (CCS), you cannot go on leave. While your Principal or VP may be enthusiastic and supportive of your request, the ultimate decision sits with the Board ‘s CCS. By not following proper procedure, members could find themselves in the unenviable position of being disciplined and that could include pay deductions.

IT SECURITY
September 2010

Privacy laws require that employers notify members when there has been a breach of security related to IT use and functions. On a regular basis, District 16 communicates with IT for up-dates regarding actual or perceived breaches. With the increased use of on-line tools by employers, it is extremely important that:

Members change passwords regularly

Members never share passwords/computers with students

Member secure /locklap tops when not being used by the member

Some major issues have been brought to our attention through diligence of members who recognize a break in patterns. Please continue to bring any concerns to our attention and we will forward them to IT as appropriate.

SUBJECT HEADS IN INTERVIEWS
September 2010

It is important that we clarify the issue of the role of Subject Heads during interviews. Subject Heads should not be involved in the interview process to fill vacancies within their departments. Subject Heads are encouraged to communicate the needs of their department to their school administration, perhaps even providing administrators with possible questions and answers that could help administrators identify the best candidate to meet the department’s needs. Being present during interviews is not an option. If Subject Heads are asked to attend meetings about other staff members or with parents of students taught by other staff members , they should respectfully decline. The role of a Subject Head is not to evaluate or discipline other department members .

Our Collective Agreement clearly acknowledges the important roles that Subject Heads play as mentors and curriculum leaders, not only in their subjects but in their schools as a whole. It is also important to note that Article D.2.2.2 of our Collective Agreement states:

“Department Heads shall not perform any aspect of a performance evaluation on another teacher.” Assessing a member’s performance during an interview, including new graduates from Faculties of Education who are Associate Members, is a form of evaluation and we do not want our members to be in a position where they are contravening either our Federation policies or the Collective Agreement.

Senior administration have made school administrators aware of this issue and notified them not to put Subject Heads into a position which will cause them to defy bylaws of their federation.

YRDSB EMAIL
Sepember 2010

 We all come to school with varying degrees of competence related to technology and the use of computers. Increasingly, the Board is using YRDSB email as a means of getting messages to staff about Human Resource issues, initiatives, and more. The employer has the right to use YRDSB email as a means of communication. While OSSTF does not do Federation business via YRSDB, the Board expects employees to access Board email. Regular up-dates regarding system matters appear on bww. It is crucial that you become familiar with the workings of the system in order to avoid missing deadlines and important dates.

CONTINUING EDUCATION UPDATE
May 10, 2010 
How to apply for Continuing Education jobs, including requests for more than the two allowed under the Board's new policy.

1. Continuing Education (CE) has a record of which full time teachers have taught two CE courses this school year.
2. Apply online for any positions for which you would like to be considered.
3.   Should you wish to teach an additional course (more than the two allowed), please send an email to CE Principal Wally Stankov at wally.stankov@yrdsb.edu.on.ca and indicate the courses for which you would like to be considered.
4.   Should enrolment for certain courses permit, teachers will be selected to teach a third course based on a first come basis.

Note: There are no restrictions on the number of general interest courses a full time YRDSB teacher can teach. YRDSB teachers get preference for general interest courses.