A substitute teacher in Nelson says she should have received sick pay after contracting COVID-19.

April Lavine tested positive for the virus on Jan. 17. She isnsa国际传媒檛 sure where she was infected, but the week prior she was working at two local schools while full-time teachers were away with COVID-19.

While full-time teachers are eligible to accrue 1.5 days per month of paid sick days under the current collective bargaining agreement, substitute teachers like Lavine arensa国际传媒檛. That meant she was forced to stay home recovering from COVID-19 at her own cost.

Substitutes, or Teachers Teaching On-Call (TTOC) as they are also referred to, can apply for Employment Insurance, but that only covers up to a maximum amount of $638 per week.

They are also excluded from the , which this month made it mandatory for employers to provide a minimum of five days sick pay to workers.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 just so unfortunate because what you can get from EI is like half the amount what you could make if yousa国际传媒檙e relying on work to make a living,sa国际传媒� said Lavine. sa国际传媒淚t doesnsa国际传媒檛 make sense to me.sa国际传媒�

BC Teacherssa国际传媒� Federation (BCTF) president Teri Mooring agrees with Lavine and believes the Ministry of Education needs to reconsider the importance of substitute teachers, especially as COVID-19 leads to functional closures across the province.

The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire July 1. Mooring said the issue will be included in upcoming negotiations with the province.

sa国际传媒淲e have a huge shortage of TTOC across the entire province and the work just isnsa国际传媒檛 valued like we would like to see it valued, especially when we are so dependent on the few TTOC that we have right now,sa国际传媒� said Mooring.

BCTF represents about 46,000 employees. Mooring couldnsa国际传媒檛 say how many of those are TTOC, but did say she believed there is a shortage in the province that is leading to several issues in schools.

Some school districts, Mooring said, are relying on retired teachers when no substitutes are available. Others are asking counsellors or education assistants to fill in.

sa国际传媒淲hen TTOC arensa国际传媒檛 available, theresa国际传媒檚 a profound impact on student learning, and itsa国际传媒檚 the most vulnerable students who are the most negatively impacted.sa国际传媒�

Dispatch systems that contact substitutes also vary across school districts. Trish Smillie, superintendent for School District 8 that includes Nelson and Creston area schools, declined to provide details on the districtsa国际传媒檚 system but did say being sick doesnsa国际传媒檛 impact when substitutes get their next call for work.

But without sick pay, Lavine said the system leads to a moral quandary for substitutes sa国际传媒� risk going to work while they are still potentially contagious, or stay home and lose money.

sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 just no motivation to stay home when wesa国际传媒檙e sick.sa国际传媒�

Mooring characterizes the situation as sa国际传媒渘either fair nor equitable.sa国际传媒� If substitute teachers are risking their health to keep classrooms open, she said, that should mean they are eligible for the same benefits full-time teachers receives.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 difficult to attract people to be TTOC when they donsa国际传媒檛 have the same rights as other teachers, and one of those rights certainly, we believe, ought to be access to sick leave. Especially during a pandemic.sa国际传媒�

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| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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