NSNDP

December 7th, 2018

Minister Churchill must work with community on school issues

HALIFAX -- The NDP Caucus is calling on the Liberal government to be more transparent about how parents and communities can get answers to issues in our schools. Around 570 people from the South Shore have signed a petition raising concerns about a decision to place the principal at Bayview Community School on administrative leave without proper oversight or informing parents.

“Nine months after Minister Churchill eliminated school boards and said he would empower School Advisory Councils, parents still don’t have access to information on how decisions are made in their schools,” said NDP Education Spokesperson Claudia Chender. “Parents and community members on the South Shore feel left in the dark and are unsure of who to turn to, to get their questions answered.”

Chender sent a letter today, to the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development looking for answers to these questions.

"Our community is frustrated by a process that leaves us with no one to turn to for answers,” said Tim Merry, co-chair of the Bayview Community School’s School Advisory Council. “We are concerned with how decisions about our school’s administration are being handled by SSRCE leadership. There’s no one at the education centre or the Minister’s office who’s been able to give us the information we need or respond to our primary concerns. We want a full and independent investigation into how decisions are being made by our Regional Education Centre.”

The Regional Centres for Education now report directly to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. In the past, local school boards would have dealt directly with school and school board staff issues.

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