The chair of the Durham District School Board says talks with its high school teachers will continue through the weekend.

While optimistic a deal can be reached, Michael Barrett says if they don’t then high schools will have to close.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation has threatened to withdraw services at seven school boards, starting with Durham.

This is the first round of negotiations since the province introduced a new bargaining system, with both provincial and local talks.

The OSSTF announced Wednesday it had walked away from the provincial talks, which the education minister said probably increased the likelihood of a walkout in Durham.

But Liz Sandals suggested it was a bargaining ploy and predicted they’d eventually return to try to get a new deal.

Parents in Durham can get the latest by checking the school board’s website, Facebook page or Twitter feed.