OPC Wins Arbitration Decision on Home Assignment

We are happy to share with all Members that we received notice yesterday that we won an arbitration decision in our case against the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board concerning a home assignment case.

This landmark decision by the arbitrator underscores the importance of fairness and due process when school boards assign principals and vice-principals to home pending a workplace investigation. The Arbitrator found that the board acted unreasonably in assigning a principal to home for the majority of a school year by failing to conduct a balanced assessment into the allegations raised against the principal. 

This is a huge win for the OPC, and will become a public decision down the road that we can point to in other similar matters. It also reiterates the concerns we raised through a public statement in 2023 on Assignments to Home.

Congratulations to our Protective Services Team who worked vigorously on this case, and special thanks to the Member who was personally and professionally involved, yet worked with us to reach this win.

Tomorrow, we will be releasing a public statement on this matter, encouraging all school boards to take note of this decision and ensure they act appropriately and fairly in similar circumstances.