Today, CedarBridge Academy closed its doors as a significant number of teachers staged a silent protest by calling in sick. TNN reports that the action, which has seen a large number of staff participate, prompted the Ministry of Education and the school’s Board of Governors to suspend classes for the day.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education acknowledged the unexpected school closure, indicating that the teachers’ “sick-out” reflects ongoing concerns within the teaching staff. The Ministry expressed its commitment to working with the school board and faculty to address these matters and ensure a swift resolution.
Details about the specific issues motivating the protest were not disclosed. However, both students and parents have been assured of the Ministry’s intent to provide support and maintain learning continuity as discussions with CedarBridge Academy’s teachers proceed.
The official statement from the Ministry of Education posted below:
Today, the Ministry of Education has been forced to announce the closure of CedarBridge Academy due to an unusually high number of teacher and para-educator absences. As of 6:23 a.m., 59 of CedarBridge’s 77 staff members had reported absent. The majority of these are uncertified sick leave absences, alongside two approved absences and one absence for a staff member attending to a sick child.
While students have been provided assignments and can access additional materials on Google Classroom, the school’s administration is conducting checks to ensure assignments are posted and accessible to minimise any disruption to student learning during this time.
The CBA Board Chair and Principal have been holding bi-weekly meetings with representatives from the Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) to address the CBA Educators’ concerns and implement agreed-upon solutions. The next meeting was scheduled for today at 4:00 p.m., as confirmed by CedarBridge Principal Caesar with BUT CBA Representative Mr. John Virgil. We are unaware of any unresolved issues that would have prompted today’s action, and no concerns have been raised with the principal regarding tonight’s scheduled Back to School night for parents. We have reached out to the Union executive for clarification.
In line with the provisions of our Collective Bargaining Agreement, we will be enforcing the policies related to uncertified sick leave and are committed to continuing open communication to address any further concerns raised by the union. The Ministry remains focused on providing a supportive and effective working environment for our educators and maintaining consistent, high-quality education for our students.
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