Dear BCTF: Students’ Rights Are Not Negotiable — Inclusion Can’t Wait for a Contract

As September approaches and contract negotiations between the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) remain unresolved, be prepared for a phrase to be repeated in campaigns and headlines: “Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.” While it's intended to unite public support for teachers by appealing to what we all care about, it's a dangerous and misleading narrative.

The use of this statement suggests that equity is a luxury that can only be offered after a contract is settled. It treats students’ rights as something negotiable. It positions students, especially those with disabilities, as pawns in a political game they never asked to be part of.

Let’s be clear: students are not bargaining chips.

Their right to an education is not dependent on the outcome of labour negotiations. Their access to inclusive, supportive classrooms is not a perk we grant when the system is functioning well. It is a legal entitlement protected under the BC Human Rights Code.

And yet, every bargaining cycle, we hear the same implication: that students’ needs will be met once teachers secure better working conditions. That equity can wait. That inclusion is a bonus, not a right. This framing is not just misleading; it is discriminatory.

Students with disabilities already face enormous systemic barriers. They are excluded from classrooms, denied support based on outdated funding models, staffing shortages, and bureaucratic excuses. They are watched, measured, and pathologized, but not always taught. And too often, they are left behind.

To then suggest that their right to learn hinges on collective bargaining outcomes is not only ethically indefensible; it is a violation of their dignity and their rights.

Yes, teachers deserve better. They are overworked, undervalued, and often placed in impossible situations. They are trying to do the work of a system that was never built to include everyone. The fight for smaller class sizes, more preparation time, and adequate support is absolutely valid. But we must be precise in our advocacy. Teachers deserve better because they are workers, and no one should burn out trying to hold a collapsing system together.

We must not center student rights as the reason teachers need support. Student rights are not an outcome of a strong contract. They are not a reward for good bargaining. They are non-negotiable.

When we say “working conditions are learning conditions,” we risk erasing the reality that they are not the same. They intersect, yes, but conflating them obscures responsibility. It allows institutions to delay addressing inequities under the guise of waiting for labour resolutions. It gives school boards and ministries a convenient excuse to ignore urgent issues until the next agreement is signed.

And it sends a message to families, especially those already fighting for basic access, that their children’s right to an education is something to be earned rather than upheld.

That message is unacceptable.

We must stop allowing public education to be framed as a battleground where rights are up for negotiation. We must reject the idea that inclusion can wait for more funding, more time, or more sympathy. We must stop using the rights of students as the face of every campaign and then leaving them behind when the dust settles.

If we are serious about equity, we must be serious about accountability.

Students’ rights are not a bargaining strategy. They are not a tactic to gain public support. They are owed to the students.

And if the system is not upholding them, that is not a labour issue. That is a human rights violation.

So as September nears and the ads begin to roll out, ask yourself: Whose rights are being used to make this case? Whose voices are missing? And who is paying the price for our silence?

Because students are not bargaining chips. They are not strategic narratives. They are not a means to gain public sympathy.

They are rights-holders.

Their right to equitable, inclusive education does not depend on how negotiations unfold or whether public sentiment leans one way or another. It is not a privilege to be granted when conditions improve. It is a legal and moral obligation that exists now, and every single day a student walks into school.

We don’t uphold that right after a contract is signed. We uphold it because it is their right.

Let’s stop using students to make the case for better contracts and start demanding that systems meet their obligations. Because children deserve more than to be someone else’s bargaining tool.

They deserve justice.
They deserve dignity.
They deserve access to the education they are already entitled to.