Residents from the Niagara on the Green community in Niagara-on-the-Lake are challenging a District School Board of Niagara decision they say was made too quickly and without their input.
In a Nov. 2 letter addressed to the school board and others, parents and members of the community objected to the plan to move their children from St. Davids Public School to Crossroads Public School next fall.
The letter said the process was “fundamentally flawed and inconsistent with both best practices and established policy across Ontario.”
This letter was also addressed to area superintendent Darren Van Hooydonk, St. Davids Public School principal Carl Glauser, Minister of Education Paul Calandra, Wayne Gates, member of provincial parliament for Niagara Falls, and trustee Jonathan Fast, who voted in favour of the boundary change.
Arguing families should be able to choose their children’s school rather than face a mandatory relocation, the letter calls on the board to immediately suspend the boundary change and consult directly with affected families before moving forward.
It asks for detailed data to justify the decision, a transparent process for community input and a commitment to fairness and student well-being in future planning.
It claims families learned of the proposal Oct. 17 through a weekly school update email and had up until trustees approved the change on Oct. 28 — a “critical window” when “no public input was solicited or received from the families in that area.”
“There has been a lack of transparency,” Niagara on the Green parent Priya Litt told The Lake Report in a message. “Residents and parents in our community were not included in this decision-making process,” she said, despite being the group most affected.
“We have over 110 parents in Niagara on the Green that have signed (a) petition,” added Litt. The petition is now at 117 signees.
The petition, created on Oct. 24 by Lynette Wang and “the undersigned parents and guardians of students” in the community, called for transparency and public consultation before the board vote. The letter claims the petition was ignored.
Families are now urging the board to immediately suspend the change, “pending a comprehensive review and genuine consultation with affected families.”
Milica Petkovic, the school board’s spokesperson, told The Lake Report that the board reviewed the submitted letter and will connect with the parents involved.
The letter disputes the board’s statement that safety concerns at St. Davids were a major factor in the decision made, saying most students in the community take the bus and “do not contribute” to congestion or safety issues.
“Crossroads will face the same issues St. Davids faces today,” it said.
In early September, The Lake Report reported on the safety concerns of a St. Davids parent who penned a letter to the school board urging action to stop cars from driving and parking on sidewalks outside the school, calling it a “dangerous issue.”
Litt said moving students isn’t the solution — better long-term planning and broader community engagement are.
“Justifying this relocation, on the basis of isolated concerns, whether related to safety, overcrowding or childcare, is both technically unsound and misleading,” the letter said.
The boundary change is “only a temporary fix,” the letter said, because there’s data showing Crossroads will exceed capacity by 2029.
Community members are concerned the move will disrupt child care and student well-being, causing “elevated anxiety or stress” and “a drop in academic performance” as children adjust to new surroundings.
“We acknowledge the operational challenges of balancing student capacity,” said the letter.
“We urge the board to recognize that operational objectives must not come at the expense of stakeholder rights, student welfare, or public trust. We request prompt action to address these concerns and to engage the (Niagara on the Green) community as true partners in this process.”
Van Hooydonk, Glauser, Calandra, Gates and Fast did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
The school council will meet tonight for a session open to parents, with superintendent Darren Van Hooydonk attending to answer questions about the newly approved boundary change.
