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EDITORIAL: Sad time for students

These are not good times for those teachers who dedicate their time to sports teams, drama clubs and other extracurricular activities.

These are not good times for those teachers who dedicate their time to sports teams, drama clubs and other important extracurricular school activities.

It’s worse still, for the students who devote themselves to these pursuits, and in them, find true enjoyment and even scholastic benefit such as scholarships.

Thanks to the BC Teachers’ Federation and its members who gave their voting support last week, the remainder of this school year is now a washout for thousands of young athletes and  a wide variety of school clubs.

After last week’s vote in support of the withdrawal of all extracurricular activities by teachers, even high school graduation and prom activities are in question.

Parents may be able to step up and save the latter, without the participation of teachers.

We sincerely hope so, since it would be an immense travesty if some students had one of the most important events of their public education experience taken from them by a union intent on twisting the government’s will to its agenda.

The BCTF refrain that “it’s about the kids” rings hollow with this latest manoeuver, which just punishes kids, as well as the teachers who made a commitment to those young people at the start of the school year.

Not enough can be said about the courageous few – including several in Abbotsford – who are willing to keep running their extracurricular activities despite the vote.

Every teacher should have that choice, without pressure from union or colleagues.

After all, they’re volunteering, aren’t they?