A group of about 60 parents, students and concerned citizens, opposed to the Ministry of Education’s de facto order to close schools in Richmond, staged a vocal protest last week.
The throng gathered outside Hugh Boyd secondary on Thursday evening, as the Richmond School District held its last public open house on facilities.
Kelly Greene, a parent of children attending Diefenbaker elementary, organized the rally.
“We feel it’s disgusting that the provincial government would hold children as bargaining chips in schools that are unsafe in an earthquake, where they could have widespread damage or they could collapse,” said Greene, whose kids’ school is one of 16 that could be on the proverbial chopping block.
The ministry has directed school districts across the province to bring overall capacity up to 95 per cent, in order to be eligible for seismic upgrades. Since Richmond’s capacity is in the mid-80s, its school board is now looking to close up to five schools, thus transferring students from closed schools to nearby, newly aligned catchments.
Greene called the 95 per cent threshold “unreasonable.”
She expressed concerns that schools are now being pitted against one another in a race to stay open.
“We’re here to show solidarity in the Richmond School District. We’re all in this together and we refuse to be brought into fighting each other to get to the top of the pack,” said Greene.
Parents and students held up posters targeting the closures, as well as impending budget cuts in a district that is experiencing declining enrolment.
One poster was a clear distress call to the government — SOS ‘Save Our Schools,’ read the message.
Another sign reiterated a quote from Premier Christy Clark in 2013: “Absolutely nothing is more important than keeping our children safe.”Another sign read: “School closures = Death for a neighbourhood.”
The last of three “long-range facilities plan” open houses was held after the group had made its point. Following the protest, a few hundred people flowed in and out of the school lobby trying to decipher information about any of the 16 listed schools that may be chosen to close come September 2017.
“The open houses were well attended and it generated a lot of conversations and questions. I think people understand the dilemma and complexity of the situation that we’re facing,” said board chair Debbie Tablotney, who noted the comments received at the open houses will help steer the board’s closure decisions this October.
Information provided at the open houses is found online at LetsTalkSD38.ca. District staff told the Richmond News that some information boards not presently online will be posted to the website soon. Those include information boards that outline scenarios for each school, should it close.
Among concerns being raised by parents of French Immersion students is, for example, understanding where their children will go, should their school close. French classes will be moved together, as a cohort, but parents may have the option of moving their child to a closer catchment, as the boundaries are redrawn. The overall process has been described as a “logistical nightmare” by district staff.
