Overview: This is the fourth archival content piece and focuses on the ESR teachers’ reaction to the relocation of the Immersion program, and the controversial letter they wrote to the Mission City Record.

Although the decision to relocate the French Immersion program had found a resolution, the controversy was far from over (see A Controversial Relocation) . Many were still unhappy with the school boards’ decision to remove the program from ESR and relocate it to Christine Morrison and Mission Central, specifically the ESR staff. 

In October of 2002, the teachers of Edwin S. Richards wrote a letter to the editor in the Mission City Record, addressed to the school board. The letter expressed the teachers dissatisfaction with the Mission school boards decision to bring an end to ESR’s French Immersion program. They compared this decision to a surgeon removing a heart from a healthy body, as the program at ESR had been thriving. ESR was the choice French Immersion school in Mission and had been deemed a ‘model school’ for cultural diversity within the community. The teachers letter found much issue with the board’s reasoning for relocating the Immersion program which was demographics, but parents had been happy for years to travel out of their way to have their students attend a reputable and culturally inclusive school. The teacher’s made mention to ESR’s school motto, “Ensemble, au-dela des frontiĂšres” (which translates as “Together, without limits”), and how throughout the fight to keep the program in their school the parents, teachers, and students had encapsulated this perfectly. They supported one another throughout the process and would continue to stick together regardless of where they were headed.

Image of the letter ESR staff wrote to the Mission City Record: “Edwin S. Richards elementary a model for other culturally diverse schools.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Oct. 31, 2002.

The letter was quick to draw attention from the community. The letter garnered support from the Edwin S. Richards parents and families who believed the letter spoke the truth and reflected how many of them felt about the decision to remove ESR’s Immersion program. Many parents wrote their own letters to the Record to show their support for the sentiments expressed by the staff at ESR. Many parents expressed the same idea that the school board was tearing apart a community that had become a success story. They also took issue with the idea of demographics, as they felt strongly that the relocation would weaken the program, as many would not make the move and simply transfer to the English track at ESR. Many parents also expressed in their letters a dissatisfaction by the decision to relocate and called for the community to consider putting some new faces on the board in the upcoming election. 

Though the letter garnered much support, it was also heavily criticized. Following the letters publication in the local newspaper, the teachers at ESR received a letter from management that explained how this letter was a breach of the Duty of Fidelity. The Duty of Fidelity states that the employee has an obligation to be loyal their employer. A teacher has every right to go public and criticize the education system as a whole, as that is freedom of speech, but when it concerns their direct employer, it is no longer allowed. A breach of the Duty of Fidelity can result in disciplinary action being taken, which varies on the situation, the issue and the teachers record. In the case of the ESR teachers, they were given a notice, as they most likely misunderstood the clause. In most cases, this letter wouldn’t have received much disciplinary action, but due to the timing of its publication the issue was taken much more seriously by the school board. The school board elections were just around the corner, and due to the already controversial circumstances surrounding the relocation of ESR’s Immersion program, the school board feared that they were vulnerable and had lost most support from French Immersion parents. The notice received by the staff at ESR was more to serve as an attempt to silence the teachers than to punish them. Once again, Mission had come together to share their passion for keeping this program alive in their community by standing behind the ESR teachers and their feelings towards what this move meant for the program. 

References:

“A year of upheaval for parents and students.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 7, 2002.

“Edwin S. Richards elementary a model for other culturally diverse schools.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Oct. 31, 2002.

“ESR teachers applauded.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 21, 2002.

“ESR teachers’ letter draws heat.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 14, 2002.

“ESR teachers supported.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 7, 2002.

Jorgensen, Lisa. “Teachers get spanked.” The Abbotsford Times (Abbotsford, BC), Nov. 12, 2002.

“Letter to editor draws criticism.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 14, 2002.

“Parent supports teaching staff’s letter.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 7, 2002.

“Put X in right place on Nov. 16.” Mission City Record (Mission, BC), Nov. 7, 2002.

“Teachers should be praised.” The Abbotsford Times (Abbotsford, BC), Nov. 19, 2002.