A meeting intended to ease tensions over new school boundaries for Niagara-on-the-Lake elementary schools has only heightened frustration among Niagara on the Green families.
The change, approved by District School Board of Niagara trustees on Oct. 28, will move about 125 students from Niagara on the Green out of the St. Davids Public School catchment and into Crossroads Public School starting next September.
The board cited overcrowding and traffic congestion at St. Davids as reasons for the change.
“I’ve went here since (junior kindergarten) and like, it doesn’t make sense to be kicked out of the school,” said Grade 7 student Safaleen Johal.
Hearing those feelings echoed by their children has pushed parents to speak up — but they say Monday’s St. Davids school council meeting offered little chance to do so.
Parents say the meeting, attended by superintendent Darren VanHooydonk, initially limited discussion to pre-submitted questions — a format some parents say they were not told about beforehand.
Niagara on the Green parents Navpreet Johal, Sonal Ahluwalia and Litt said they were all unaware that questions had to be submitted in advance and that principal Carl Glauser did not send any emails informing them of this.
“Where in the world is the transparency in this?” Litt said in a message.
Last night’s meeting left many parents feeling frustrated and unheard, said Ahluwalia.
“We expected a chance for open dialogue, but instead, we were told the decision was already made,” she said. “Only then did we learn new information, like the change also affecting which high school our children will attend.”
At the meeting, Ahluwalia said that VanHooydonk told parents that Niagara on the Green students being directed to Crossroads will also be moved from attending A.N. Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls to Laura Secord Secondary School in St. Catharines.
Learning those details so suddenly is “adding to the sense of confusion and mistrust,” she said.
The lack of communication has “shaken parents’ trust,” she added, noting that her Grade 5 daughter, who has been at St. Davids since kindergarten, was devastated.
Safaleen wants to stay put too, especially with graduation approaching — “it’s only one more year,” she said.
“I don’t want (the boundary change) to happen,” added Safaleen. “I really want to graduate at this school because it’s a good school.”
Parents also said the board’s justification — reducing traffic congestion around the school — doesn’t hold up.
Niagara on the Green parent Amarjog Johal said most of the congestion is caused by families living in St. Davids — those still within the school’s boundary. “It’s not going to solve anything. We never drop our kids off,” he said.
“That’s why this solution has nothing to do with the problem,” added Navpreet.
“It’s just a band-aid,” Amarjog said.
Navpreet said if schools are being closed, there should be a long-term plan to build new ones — not temporary fixes that shuffle students around every few years.
Her comments come after years of public school closures in NOTL — including Virgil, Colonel John Butler and Parliament Oak public schools and Niagara District Secondary School.
The board should have looked at multiple options, she said, instead of treating the boundary change as the only choice.
“There has to be a better solution — and every problem has more than one solution,” said Navpreet.
Neither Glauser nor Vanhooydonk responded to requests for comment by press time.
