What about us? Students worried how strike will impact them

Students are wondering if they'll “get their extracurriculars back in time for the soccer season start, or if their proms are going to be cancelled, or what's going to happen with their final marks going into university or if they're going to be eligible for scholarships,” he said.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation members went on strike in the Sudbury region April 27, joining Durham high school teachers who hit the picket lines last week. Other teachers' unions may soon follow.

In an attempt to get the attention of politicians, teachers union executives and school boards, OSTA-AECO released a statement last week.

Senior students' graduation is jeopardized by the strike, and the academic and extracurricular experience of all students is severely affected, the group said.

It also said students should not suffer because of labour disputes, and called on teachers' unions and provincial leaders to put students first in negotiations.

“In my opinion, the students are really suffering,” said Bagnato, who's now a first-year sports administration student at Laurentian University.

“A lot of people are expecting this to be a prolonged strike. Each day that it goes on, it affects students more and more and more.”

The impact of teachers' labour unrest on students is something Bagnato knows something about, as he was in Grade 11 during the 2012-2013 school year, when teachers withdrew from extracurricular activities.

As a member of Lockerby's soccer team, Bagnato said he remembers being concerned about the impact of the teachers' action on the team.

Rainbow board chair Doreen Dewar said the effect of the teacher's strike on students depends on how long it lasts.

“As far as the ... school trips, graduations, proms, ect., we have to face that as time progresses,” Dewar said. “But it's very definitely impacting on the school year experience for our young people, and we feel extremely sad about that.”

To ensure senior students can get into university or college, Dewar said Ontario post-secondary institutions have said they'll accept mid-term marks.

“If it's outside of the province, we don't have any control over that,” she said.

But even if senior students are able to graduate and get into their post-secondary school of choice, Bagnato said they're missing out on crucial information if the strike lasts very long.

“I was talking to a Grade 12 students who's going to be enrolling into university next year,” he said.

“One of their concerns is they're in calculus right now. They've experienced half of calculus. But if they're not back in the classroom before the summer, they're going to have to learn that content before they take first-year university calculus.

“If they decide not to learn that, I've assured them they're going to be at a huge disadvantage going into first-year university.”