OTTAWA, On – If high school teachers at the Ottawa Carleton District School Board go on strike, they could find themselves locked out.

Board Chairwoman Jennifer McKenzie tells the Ottawa Sun the school board has the power to close schools, if staff consider student safety to be at risk.

It is seen as a last resort though.

With the OSSTF saying its members will begin to take job action on Monday, the board says it will do its best to make sure everything runs as normal as possible.

In a release, the board says they are preparing for a partial withdrawal of services – but that does not mean a strike or lockout is imminent.