School board puts student relocation on hold; Parkland Public School Grade 7 and 8 pupils staying put for this year

Following a decision to move Parkland Public School Grade 7 and 8 students to either Pinewood Public School or the White Pines Grade 7 to 12 facility, Algoma District School Board (ADSB) officials have agreed to put that plan on hold and allow those students to remain at Parkland for the 2017-2018 school year.  

Citing lower-than-projected enrolment numbers for Grades 7 and 8 at the school, the board informed parents Friday Sept. 15 they would have to decide by Tuesday to send their children to either Pinewood or White Pines, in order for them to start classes at either one of those schools by Wednesday morning Sept. 20 and have student transportation plans in place.

As reported earlier by SooToday, the abrupt decision caused upset parents to express their frustration to board officials at a meeting held Monday evening at Parkland Public School.

The matter will be formally discussed at tonight’s regular ADSB monthly board meeting, which is open to the public, but in the meantime, the ADSB sent the following reply to SooToday late Tuesday afternoon: 

(September 19, 2017) Algoma District School Board confirmed that they will be sharing, at tonight’s board meeting, an update on the Grade 7/8 class at Parkland Public School. Senior Administrators will share that, following feedback and discussions with Parkland Public School parents, they are not bringing forth a recommendation to move the 7/8 class, but rather will leave the class organization at the school status quo for this school year, with the intent of engaging the school community in a conversation in spring 2018 about future options. This option was the preferred one shared by parents, and senior staff were able to rework some budget items to accommodate the request.

The move would have affected approximately 17 Grade 7 and 8 Parkland students.