Parents are being asked to keep an eye on media and their email accounts this weekend as the start date of the 2014 school year hangs in the balance.
Schools in North Vancouver could open Tuesday if the B.C. Teachers' Federation and the province can work out a deal on class size, composition and compensation over the Labour Day long weekend.
"Even as late as Monday evening, we would be able to open for Tuesday," said Victoria Miles, communications manager with North Vancouver School District.
In the event of an 11th hour deal, the school district will contact as many parents as possible Monday night if it's feasible to open schools in the morning, said Miles.
West Vancouver parents should be making plans for their children that don't involve them being in school Tuesday, according to district superintendent Chris Kennedy.
"A deal before this Tuesday does not seem certain," he stated in a letter posted on the school district's website Friday.
Gleneagles and West Vancouver community centres are offering day camps for children between 5 and 12 during the first two weeks of September - or until the strike is resolved.
Parents should keep an eye on West Vancouver School District's website and Facebook account for updates.
"If we receive last-minute notice of a resolution, we will open our schools as quickly as possible next week," Kennedy stated on the website.
Late notice will likely result in challenges finalizing student schedules, he added.
On Thursday, Education Minister Peter Fassbender proposed that teachers pack up picket signs and open classrooms during mediation.
But that proposal isn't what teachers are looking for, according to North Vancouver Teachers' Association president Carolyn Pena.
"What teachers would like to see is a resolution," she said. "Not a temporary solution."
Welcoming students back to school Tuesday may come with a few challenges even if a deal is reached, said Pena, who added teachers normally spend the last week of August prepping their classrooms for the school year.
Negotiators for the teachers' union and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association were continuing talks Friday at press time with labour mediator Vince Ready.
They were prepared to continue talks over the weekend, if Ready deemed discussions were going to be productive.
