No report cards for elementary public schools in Waterloo region, Guelph

Students at Waterloo region's public elementary schools will not be bringing home report cards for the first term, the school board says.

The same goes for public elementary schools in Guelph and Wellington County part of the Upper Grand District School Board, as well as those in the Avon Maitland District School Board.

That's because of escalating job action by teachers represented by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO). Teachers will not enter marks electronically into the system or comments as part of job action as the union works to negotiate a new contract with the province.

In a letter to parents, the Waterloo Region District School Board said it understands not getting report cards is disappointing.

"We share that disappointment," the board said.

"We know how important these reports are to parents, caregivers and students. They are a reflection of the work done thus far in the year, and the marks, learning skills and teacher comments are valuable in determining your child's progress," the board said, adding parents should speak to their child's teacher if there are concerns.

Upper Grand District School Board said teachers will continue to create and update individual education plans.

For high school students, teachers will input student marks, but will not write report card comments.

Upper Grand high school students will get their mark-only report cards on Feb. 10 and marks will be submitted to the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) and to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) on time so applications to post-secondary institutions is not impacted.

Strike Monday in Waterloo region

This week, the ETFO announced a one-day strike will impactWaterloo region's schools on Monday, Jan. 27.

The Waterloo Region District School Board says this means public schools will be closed.