Parents in the dark about how their child is doing at school will catch a glimpse of daylight next week.
A "progress report" will be sent home with each student, in lieu of a report card, something not seen by parents since the teachers kicked off their job action last September.
The teachers were ordered last week to produce a second-term report card by B.C.'s Labour Relations Board (LRB) immediately, which some had resisted as part of job action.
But the Richmond School District and the Richmond Teachers Association (RTA) came to an agreement to compile a progress report for each student.
District superintendent Monica Pamer said letters are now being sent out to all parents, indicating that teachers are working on getting the reports out in the first week of May.
"It's going to be a bit more streamlined than a report card, it won't be as loaded up with information, but there will be comments if the child is struggling," Pamer told the News on Tuesday.
"But I'm hearing that our teachers have kept in touch with parents over the last few months anyway.
"(The progress report) certainly will contain an indication of the student's progress."
Standard report cards will be issued at the end of the current school term.
Considering parents have went without report cards all school year, Pamer said she was pleased with the latest outcome during a bitter ongoing dispute between the province's teachers and the B.C. government over pay and working conditions.
"The main purpose of this is to be communicative," she added.
"But it will just be the student's current progress, we didn't require it to go back any further."
RTA president Al Klassen said his members were already working on much of what the LRB ordered.
"We came to an agreement that they would do a progress report that pretty much captures the reporting," he said.
"This progress report was already in the works, teachers had been putting marks to hand and lots of the work has already been done."
As part of the long-running dispute, B.C.'s frustrated teachers will not take part in any extra-curricular activities, causing many end-of-term type events to already be cancelled.
Pamer said she met with school administrators Monday afternoon to chew over the implications.
"It's a little bit all over the map and there are certainly things that are not going to happen," she said, adding that graduation dinners will go ahead, as will the valedictorian ceremony.
"Award ceremonies will not happen."
Elementary school events will be harder to call, she said, pointing out that sports days are traditionally organized by student leaders and are usually held within the school day. "It will just depend on the school," she said.
"School district staff will help if we can and we will do our best. But it's fair to say that not everything is going to go ahead.
"This is not easy for anyone, for district staff, teachers, students or parents."
Klassen said he and his members are "well aware" that parents and students will be unhappy with the decision to not take part in after-school events.
"The teachers are unhappy about it also," he said.
"But a stand has to be taken that will result in better conditions for the students and the teachers.
"There will be shortterm pain and we would not wish to be in this position."
Klassen said, with the introduction of Bill 22, the government took away the teachers' right to strike, leaving them no choice but to pull their volunteer time.
"We're trying to get the message across that this situation is dire," he said.
"Parents have to understand that there is little voice left for the teachers to show their feelings. Bill 22 has not helped.
"This is very much a last resort and unfortunately, there will be pain, but the teachers are not happy about that."
