An Ontario school board says a teacher “will not face any disciplinary action” should he choose to accompany his 90-year-old father to a Second World War ceremony in Holland next week.
However, teacher Rick Boon will have to “sort out any legalities following his return,” according to a statement from Avon Maitland District School Board Director of Education Ted Doherty.
A petition supporting a week of unpaid leave for Rick Boon was started by Celtic-Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt and managed to find support among nearly 2,000 people.
McKennitt told CTV News earlier this week that board officials in Stratford, Ont., should make an exception to workplace rules because Art Boon had given back to the schools by sharing his experiences with students.
Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole came out in support of the request too, calling school board officials “to urge them to accommodate this veteran’s modest request.”
Despite promising no disciplinary action, Doherty says that he must “maintain my position and not grant a leave of absence,” because of “grave concerns as to whether this particular request for leave is valid under the Employment Standards Act.”
Doherty says he worries about “setting a precedent that would (allow) thousands of employees from across Ontario to demand and receive unpaid leave from their jobs to accompany their parents, brothers, sisters and children on recreational and other medically non-essential trips.”
However, Doherty also said that the board is “proud to be associated with” Art Boon and is “pleased that he will travel to Europe again to receive the recognition he so justly deserves.”
