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Maplewood Secondary School will not be ready to open for classes Tuesday after “outstanding deficiencies” were found in a final occupancy inspection Monday.
“Unfortunately, Maplewood Secondary School did not receive the occupancy permit to open tomorrow,” A.J. Keene, superintendent of education (south) for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, said in a letter to parents Monday, adding that the board expected the problems to be resolved “very shortly”.
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The new high school in Stittsville had originally been set to open in September 2023, but the pandemic supply chain and other issues delayed completion. The completion date was pushed to the spring of 2024, but that timeline also proved overly optimistic.
Parents had then expected their children would be starting at Maplewood when the new school year began in the first week of September, but late in August they found out that construction was still not complete, pushing the planned opening date back to Sept. 17.
“We know this is disappointing but we are looking forward to seeing everyone in the school very soon,” the Maplewood school said in a notice to parents after the latest delay was announced Monday.
When the board said just before the start of the school year that the building was not yet up to code, a contingency plan was activated, with Grade 7 and 8 students temporarily moved to the former D.A. Moodie Intermediate School in Bells Corners and Grade 9 students scheduled for online classes.
To prepare for the opening of the new school, all students in grades 7 to 9 “will be learning from home (asynchronous) under the teacher’s guidance on Friday, Sept. 13, and Monday, Sept. 16,” a previous OCDSB letter had said.
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Kirsty Edwards is among the parents left frustrated by the delays. Edwards has a child who will be in Grade 8 at Maplewood this year and one in Grade 9.
“This is discouraging and disappointing,” Edwards said in an email Monday evening. “We know the teachers, vice principals and principals are doing everything they can to support our kids and help our families manage through these changes. Having said this, we have now moved from in person for Grade 7&8 and virtual for Grade 9 to asynchronous for all grades in the school.
“As parents, having children between Grade 7-9, this is extremely disruptive. We are unable to establish a predictable routine and ensure regular attendance for employment or personal obligations.
“We would like to understand what didn’t meet the inspection and have a realistic timeline for school opening.”
The OCDSB said it would be monitoring the progress at Maplewood daily and would provide an update Tuesday by 3 p.m.
“We ask for your continued patience and understanding as we navigate these construction delays,” the release to parents stated.
One of the fastest-growing suburbs in Ottawa, Stittsville now has more than 52,000 residents. Until now, its public high school students had to bus to Richmond to attend South Carleton High School, built in 1952.
— With files from Elizabeth Payne, Marlo Glass, staff
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