Out of the 69 students enrolled at Petite Riviere Elementary School, only six showed up for class this morning.
Many children didn’t show up at Petite Rivière Elementary this morning in a positive protest against the planned school closure pic.twitter.com/U4y0DK7Ndb
— CKBW Radio (@ckbwradio) March 22, 2017
What’s being called a positive protest was organized by Ebony Newell, whose children will be affected by the closure of the school planned for 2018.
She asked parents to keep kids home or drop them off at at the local community centre where they were taken care of by a team of volunteers.
Newell says she feels the community isn’t being heard by the school board.
“I’ve wrote letters, I’ve attended meetings, but it kind of seems like things are being pushed to the wayside, and I just felt things were getting a bit too quiet.”
Newell says the community understands both schools can’t remain open, but they’d like the board to explore options other than busing kids to Hebbville.
“Us the parents have our kids education and their well-being upfront. And we’re feeling that their unwillingness to work with us is just going to hurt those children”
Newell says they would like the school board to ask for money set aside by the province to renovate either Pentz or Petite Elementaries.
She says that would allow children to remain in the community.
Meanwhile, School Board Superintendent Scott Milner says this wasn’t the best way to go about voicing community concerns.
“It’s a shame that the didn’t respect the principal at the very least, to tell him this was going on, because it did disrupt the morning.”
He says staff had to individually call the homes of the 63 students who didn’t show up today.
Milner says the action won’t likely sway the board from their decision to close the schools.
“My office has received no concern stated by the governing board. This was, perhaps, a publicity event by the parents, so I would say no.”
He says according to legal advice the board cannot revisit the issue of closing Pentz and Petite Riviere.
