Stittsville parents seek answers as they prepare kids for virtual school, temporary classrooms

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Some Stittsville parents spent the last weekend of summer vacation preparing their children for a return to virtual education after the opening of a long-awaited new high school was delayed.

It’s a situation that is frustrating both students and their parents, with some attempting to transfer to the Catholic school board. Kirsty Edwards is among those looking for clearer answers about what to expect in the coming days.

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Her two children were supposed to be heading to Maplewood Secondary school this week.

But last week, families like hers learned that alternate arrangements were being made by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board because the Maplewood school wouldn’t open on time.

She and others expected that their children would be bused to South Carleton High School and taught in portables until Maplewood was ready. Instead, they learned that grades 7 and 8 students would be bused to another school, D.A. Moody. The Grade 9 students would temporarily return to virtual learning.

Edwards has a child going into Grade 8 and one going into Grade 9.

The prospect of returning to virtual learning has upset many students heading in to Grade 9 and their parents, she said, prompting some to look for alternatives.

“On the heels of COVID, there are parents who are dealing with kids who are crying and saying ‘I just can’t (go back to online learning)’,” said Edwards.

“I have heard stories of parents who are saying, (virtual learning) didn’t work for my child and I am not OK with this option.”

Edwards, who was co-chair of Goulbourn Middle School’s parent council when her children went there, said she understands the situation is complex. She said an ongoing shortage of bus drivers might have influenced the decision to resort to virtual learning temporarily for Grade 9 students.

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But she said a combination of poor communications and a failure to work with parents has made a less than ideal situation worse for families and students. She would like that to change.

“I get this is a complex problem but can we get together and see if we can be part of the solution?” she said. “I believe they missed parent engagement in the decision-making.”

One of the key questions parents have as their children prepare to start school is how long the temporary arrangements will be in place.

“We are readying them for virtual learning and for D.A. Moody, but we don’t have a clear timeline. If it is a couple of days or a week, we will get over it,” she said. If it is a month or more, that is a different matter, she added.

“It would go such a long way for us to understand how long it will be.”

She said she has heard from several parents who tried to transfer their children to the Catholic board but were told it was not accepting students registered for Maplewood because it didn’t have space. She said there might be exceptions to that rule.

She said families have been reassured that students will not be “shortchanged” when it comes to gym or intramural sports because of the delay in getting into Maplewood.

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In an email update to parents last week, superintendent A.J. Keene said the contractor, Tambro Construction Ltd., continues to insist the school will be ready for Sept. 3, but based on a review and outstanding safety issues, the board decided to use a contingency plan for the start of school.

Keene apologized for the inconvenience and stress.

After years of lobbying for a new public high school in Stittsville, one of the fastest growing suburbs, the province announced funding in 2018. It was originally set to open in September 2023, but the pandemic supply chain and other issues delayed completion.

Workers were on the job at the school, located at the corner of Robert Grant Avenue and Cope Drive, over the Labour Day weekend.

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