EDITOR;
Happy New Year!
In 2012 we are fortunate enough to have Jan. 1 fall on the weekend. Even though it’s not required by law under the Government of Alberta Employment Standards, many employers recognize a general holiday on a weekend by giving their employees who do not work weekends a day off work the following Monday. This creates a long weekend so employees can spend time with their family and loved ones.
It is reasonable to assume that most organizations, which are not open on the weekend, were closed this year on Jan. 2. Here in Taber, the municipal office, banks and offices such as accountants were closed.
The post office did not deliver mail. The provincial government office in Edmonton was closed. Because schools are also not open on the weekend, it is reasonable to expect they would be closed on Monday, Jan. 2 in lieu of New Year’s Day. Yet, this year, they were not. It appears the school division does not recognize time off with their loved ones is good for students or good for their employees.
The standard amount of time for the school Christmas break is two weeks. This year school ended on Friday, Dec. 16. If working parents want to spend additional time other than Christmas Day and New Year’s Day with their children, they use vacation days. Since New Year’s is a general holiday, usually parents can spend that day with their family and save a vacation day for another time. Many parents were given Jan. 2, 2012 as their day off.
Because of the school division’s decision, those parents are expected to send their children to school on that day. As a parent, this does not make sense.
When my husband and I have a general holiday, we want to spend it with our children and take advantage of the time we have together. What the school division did for the New Year's Day holiday this year affects a family no differently than if the division opened the school on the first Monday in September and did not recognize Labour Day.
In discussing this issue three weeks ago with an associate superintendent of the division and this week with a member of the school board, each of them said to me sending children back to school on Jan. 2 was not their preference to end the Christmas break. It's a shame many people thought the dates for Christmas break were not ideal. Next year will be better when Christmas and New Year's Day are both on a Tuesday and parents and children will have their time off on the same days.
JILL LIVINGSTONE
Taber