OSSTF/FEESO Celebrates Support Staff Appreciation Day

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 06, 2015) - Today, as part of Education Week, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) celebrates the many contributions of the educational support staff workers who have helped make Ontario's education system one of the best in the world.

"OSSTF/FEESO founded Education Week in Ontario more than eighty years ago to celebrate and highlight the importance of public education," said OSSTF/FEESO President Paul Elliott. "We introduced Support Staff Appreciation Day in 1999 as an integral part of Education Week to ensure that the essential role played by all education workers was fully recognized."

"Our schools are much more than just buildings," continued Elliott. "It is the people who work inside those schools that ensure Ontario's students are able to succeed. Schools, colleges and universities rely on an educational team that includes many types of education workers and staff. And every person on that team plays a part in equipping students with the knowledge, skills and sense of community they need to succeed in a rapidly-changing world. Through their hard work, educational support staff ensure safe, clean and welcoming environments for learning."

Elliott concluded, "Today we recognize the importance of all workers within our schools and universities who ensure that students' needs are met. We ask all Ontarians to join us in celebrating Support Staff Appreciation Day, and to express their gratitude to educational support staff for the important roles they play in providing positive, safe and healthy learning environments, and ensuring that all students succeed and reach their full potential."

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.