Ontario Teams in Jeopardy for 2012/2013?

[Racer26]

More related info: Grade 6,7,8 students at a Barrie area elementary school staged a walkout yesterday in protest of Bill 115 and Their Teachers taking away their extra-curriculars.

Expect to see more student walkouts in the coming weeks.

[akoscielski3]

Originally Posted by 1075guy

More related info: Grade 6,7,8 students at a Barrie area elementary school staged a walkout yesterday in protest of Bill 115 and Their Teachers taking away their extra-curriculars.

Expect to see more student walkouts in the coming weeks.

Windsor has a walkout on Monday.

[Bochek]

Rumors have started running around our team that the season is looking "canceled".

I have yet to receive any actual confirmation from the teaching staff as i have been away from the program sick for the last two months. I am however concerned its not looking good for team 2200.

[wendells]

Originally Posted by Bochek

Rumors have started running around our team that the season is looking "canceled".

I have yet to receive any actual confirmation from the teaching staff as i have been away from the program sick for the last two months. I am however concerned its not looking good for team 2200.

I have tried my best to put students FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
FIRST NOW AND FOREVER

[ColinR]

I'm at the point where I am thinking about moving my team to a community level. Renting a space and having parents or industry mentors supervise. This idea is looking pretty expensive right now but I really hope that it doesn't come to that.

Hopefully the teachers will do something really drastic. It will cause a chain reaction to cause the problem to be resolved due to public pressure.

[Feroz1325]

Team 1325 has been wrestling with this problem since the beginning of the conflict and has been transitioning into a new system. We still have the blessing of working in our school and having a board moderated bank account by getting a school administrator to help out. They handle all the of the back end management that many students take for granted (permission forms, police checks for mentors etc) and secured us a permit to work in the school allowing the team to continue to exist.
A downside is that we do not have access to the schools shop after school (as the administrator is not certified to operate the machinery), however with the help of outside sponsors, mentors and hand tools the team is doing fine.
We suggest teams in jeopardy to reach out to their administration (VP's, principal etc) to try and get supervision or permission.Team 1325 wishes all Ontario teams the best of luck with the upcoming FRC season and beyond.

[moogboy]

As a FIRST Lego League coach and FRC team member, I am shocked and appalled. What terrifies me is that I do not know where my anger and frustration should be placed. I cannot tell if it is the unions or the government who are causing me to shout expletives at my computer screen at the notion that young men and women are being denied the chance to experience the glory of FIRST.

Could someone make a list, when the time comes, of all the teams in Ontario that continued with their seasons as well as those who were stopped from doing so, if it comes to that? Somehow these teams need to be recognized.

[Jibsy]

Originally Posted by Feroz1325

We suggest teams in jeopardy to reach out to their administration (VP's, principal etc) to try and get supervision or permission.Team 1325 wishes all Ontario teams the best of luck with the upcoming FRC season and beyond.

This is our current plan A; however, there are some details to be worked out yet.
It is highly unlikely that we will get any school admins to help in covering mandatory supervision, as it would be considered *unfair* for other school clubs and sports teams. I am meeting with my principal either tomorrow or Monday to determine if we can get parents "board approved" as supervisors.

Everything financial would still have to go through admins, which will be inconvenient, but it definitely is preferable to having to pack up and move elsewhere (plan B). Plan B's major setbacks involve transportation every day to the build site and somehow getting thousands of dollars of school property and cash in our possession.

Going to be an interesting couple of weeks for sure.

[Feroz1325]

I believe that our administration helped us out for two reasons, the first being that we are very active in the school community (we demo our robot at almost all school events and act as a huge promoter of our school). Second, we contacted past sponsors and asked them to support us, both in a traditional sense (either monetary, manufacturing or in-kind) and within our school.
If you can show that companies have faith in you (so much so, that they are willing to give you thousands of dollars), your administration may think twice about not supporting your team.
Once again best of luck, if your team would like specific information or help feel free to PM me and 1325 will help as much as robotically possible.

[Racer26]

My advice to those teachers of Ontario FRC teams:

Stand up to your union.

Tell them what they're doing is WRONG. It does not solve the problem of Bill 115. It is not putting pressure on Queen's Park to do something. It only hurts the students, who have done NOTHING to deserve this.

Don't believe the $500/day scare tactic the union is using. They're supposed to be fighting for YOUR rights. How does fining you $500/day accomplish that goal? I know I'm not the only one questioning if the union can even legally DO that at all, never mind whether or not they will.

I don't begrudge the teachers the right to protest Bill 115 at all. It is dangerous legislation that was poorly thought out and rashly hammered through parliament. Something needs to be done about it. Absolutely. This is the wrong way to go about it. Go, protest at Queen's Park, assemble on their lawn. Get in their face. STOP HURTING THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP.

[cappy]

Originally Posted by 1075guy

My advice to those teachers of Ontario FRC teams:

Stand up to your union.

Tell them what they're doing is WRONG. It does not solve the problem of Bill 115. It is not putting pressure on Queen's Park to do something. It only hurts the students, who have done NOTHING to deserve this.

Don't believe the $500/day scare tactic the union is using. They're supposed to be fighting for YOUR rights. How does fining you $500/day accomplish that goal? I know I'm not the only one questioning if the union can even legally DO that at all, never mind whether or not they will.

I don't begrudge the teachers the right to protest Bill 115 at all. It is dangerous legislation that was poorly thought out and rashly hammered through parliament. Something needs to be done about it. Absolutely. This is the wrong way to go about it. Go, protest at Queen's Park, assemble on their lawn. Get in their face. STOP HURTING THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP.

Hey 1075guy

I think you are missing the point here. We are talking about peoples lives and careers. The "children" will be fine if they miss one season of FRC. and if I have to choose between giving up a volentary activity and my career that pay the bills for my family I think it obvious which I would choose and I think would you too. We stand united angainst a bill that is unconstitutional. We don't live in North Korea last time I checked. We are fighting for the right to collectively bargain not a pay raise or more time off. This bill affects everyone not just teachers. we are just the beginning. Sometimes big issues cause you to make tough decisions. No one likes this. But that is why we are called a "union" . There is power in numbers. In stead of bashing try supporting the people who have given countless hours to FRC because they love it too. Try to see the big picture of how this bill is affecting the educational system. FRC is pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

[Racer26]

Originally Posted by cappy

Hey 1075guy

I think you are missing the point here. We are talking about peoples lives and careers. The "children" will be fine if they miss one season of FRC. and if I have to choose between giving up a volentary activity and my career that pay the bills for my family I think it obvious which I would choose and I think would you too. We stand united angainst a bill that is unconstitutional. We don't live in North Korea last time I checked. We are fighting for the right to collectively bargain not a pay raise or more time off. This bill affects everyone not just teachers. we are just the beginning. Sometimes big issues cause you to make tough decisions. No one likes this. But that is why we are called a "union" . There is power in numbers. In stead of bashing try supporting the people who have given countless hours to FRC because they love it too. Try to see the big picture of how this bill is affecting the educational system. FRC is pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

We're talking about the children's future. THEIR lives and careers, which for many of them will be directly related to their participation in FRC. Teachers teach for decades. Students are there for 4 years. Would you be OK with being robbed of 25% of your opportunity at a better future simply because of a labor dispute that has nothing to do with you?

Never mind that many of the students the program touches and affects are only involved for 1 or 2 years.

There exists many teams who are literally keeping disadvantaged youth off the streets and away from drugs, guns, and gangs. Other extracurriculars also accomplish this.

I assure you, I am not the one missing the big picture here.

[cappy]

Yes it does suck for everyone involved. But again if I have to choose between MY future and Career over everything you stated again I choose my career. My family comes first. Not someone else family. I VOLUNTEER for this every year because I love everything about it. It is not my job it is VOLUNTEER!!! The 8 years I have put in speaks for itself. I do what I can when I can do it but right now I can't. there is a bigger issue here then scholarships and fun time. Sorry if that offends anyone but MY kids come first. So I say again,instead of complaining how about support the people that have done so much for so many years but can't right now. Tough decisions have to made and when that happens people sometimes don't understand. I don't think you are seeing the big picture you are only seeing what directly impacts you. I'm sure you are a great guy but your missing the point here. This bill affect everyone. Teachers are just the beginning. If this was about something small like more money or benefits then fine but it's not. It's peoples rights being removed by government. I think that is the big picture. Educate yourself about the issue before you take aim.

[JJackson]

We just spent today moving our stuff out of our portable, off school property. We also now have a release of liability form as we are becoming a community team so the school insurance doesn't help us. Unfortunately we may not be able to use the mill we bought for our school two years ago.

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by cappy

Hey 1075guy

I think you are missing the point here. We are talking about peoples lives and careers. The "children" will be fine if they miss one season of FRC. and if I have to choose between giving up a volentary activity and my career that pay the bills for my family I think it obvious which I would choose and I think would you too. We stand united angainst a bill that is unconstitutional. We don't live in North Korea last time I checked. We are fighting for the right to collectively bargain not a pay raise or more time off. This bill affects everyone not just teachers. we are just the beginning. Sometimes big issues cause you to make tough decisions. No one likes this. But that is why we are called a "union" . There is power in numbers. In stead of bashing try supporting the people who have given countless hours to FRC because they love it too. Try to see the big picture of how this bill is affecting the educational system. FRC is pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

I think its sad that the students have been put forward in an issue they have no role in. This is between the teachers/unions and the government not the students. When the students suffer in the school system, neither side is doing their job properly.

As a former student, I would have been devastated if my senior year I wasn't allowed to compete or if this was my year to work for a scholarship through a sport to pay for college.

Hoping for the best guys its sad to see this happening!