‘Deeply hurt’ over zoning

Parents from Donagh Regional School are asking the Public Schools Branch (PSB) to revisit its rezoning decision for the area, saying the move was unexpected and will rip students away from their friends and peers.

Parent Wade Norquay, who made a presentation at the PSB meeting in Birchwood last night, said the decision to send Stratford students to Birchwood Intermediate and Donagh students to Stonepark Intermediate was unexpected for many.

Although Norquay said he felt the PSB was “very good” in listening to parents during a 60-day public consultation, Donagh parents would have raised concerns if they knew splitting the two groups was a possibility.

“We were unaware of what was going to happen and I’ve got to say for me I was deeply hurt,” he said. “I can’t fight for something I didn’t know existed… they told me in black and white what was going to happen and then it didn’t happen.”

The PSB’s original January recommendation was that Donagh and Stratford students would both attend Birchwood to increase utilization at the school while addressing overcrowding at Stonepark.

The PSB also said it would be eliminating dual zones, which would see many students attending Stratford schools brought back to Donagh. Norquay said many parents were fine with that decision, since they knew Donagh students would meet up with their Stratford peers again in junior high.

However, he said parents were caught off-guard when the PSB announced during its April meeting that the two groups of students would be split after Grade 6.

He also didn’t buy the reason for the split, which was a concern of overcrowding.

He said keeping the students together would see only eight Donagh students added to Birchwood every year for the next three.

“Why is there talk about overcrowding being the issue?” he said. “The growth in the Donagh zone is not there, I don’t know where the fear is coming from.” He said the move will also see French immersion students from Donagh split from their peers twice.

That’s because those students will attend Stratford schools, since the program is not offered at Donagh, until they finish Grade 6. At that point, they will join other Donagh students at Stonepark, while their peers will go to Birchwood. “They’re separated from neighbours at one point and separated from school peers at another…. To lose your peers is a big deal, ask any Grade 6 student.”

Parents who attended the meeting applauded Norquay twice during his presentation. Morell-Mermaid MLA Sidney MacEwen also questioned the PSB’s policy in providing a 60-day consultation period on recommendations, while also having the ability to change the recommendations “last minute” without providing another consultation period. PSB chairwoman Susan Willis said she appreciated the presentation, as well as MacEwen’s point, but added “the policy allows the board to take the information in and make the best possible decision we can.”

She said the PSB would go over Norquay’s presentation and provide a response to affected parents as quickly as possible.