It’s the last week of summer vacation for students. What parents should be doing is enjoying the final few days of summer vacation, buying pencils and backpacks, and reviewing bus pickup times.

Instead, they’re wondering whether their children will go back to school next week as scheduled.

And if they do start school, will it come to a screeching halt in a few days? Will there be sports? Planned field trips? Lunch-hour supervision? What can students and parents expect this school year?

How did we get here? In May, teachers rejected a mediated settlement despite the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) recommendation to accept it. A strike vote followed and passed in early June. Public school teachers are now in the middle of a 120-day window to give 72-hour strike notice, meaning parents

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