Back in the fall, Pembina Hills trustees committed to reviewing its attendance areas, the first time such a review has occurred in two decades since the division was formed Jan. 1, 2015.
That process comes to a final conclusion this Wednesday, April 27, when trustees will make a decision on 18 proposed changes throughout the division. Some are minor and have no impact, and some will result in dozens of students having a new designated school.
This process has at times sparked a lot of outrage. Parents were particularly upset when the division proposed restricting students from riding transfer buses to schools of choice, and made their feelings on the matter very clear. Trustees decided against that, and we support that decision.
We don’t know if the attendance area boundary changes have been similarly controversial.
Last week’s public meeting in Westlock was fairly quiet, but we’re not privy to what’s being said online or in phone calls directly to the trustees.
It’s important to remember a couple of things, however. First, none of the proposed changes are being considered based on a whim. They were all derived from public input received in the fall.
Secondly, the division is responsible for all schools and all students.
It’s easy to take it personal when the division is suddenly telling you to send your kid to another school.
What about their friends at their old school? How are they going to make hockey practice in Westlock if they have to be picked up at Dapp?
But there’s no personal slight intended.
Without a doubt, these attendance area changes will pose hardships for some families, but that doesn’t mean this review shouldn’t have been done. The attendance area boundaries are frightfully old and a great deal has changed since then. For instance, Pembina North Community School is now the only school north of Westlock, which itself is full to the brim. And Vimy School? Well, it’s a long-distant memory.
No one is restricted from sending their children to a school of choice as that right is enshrined in provincial legislation.
But it was time to at least have a discussion. Hopefully, we can all keep level heads no matter what trustees decide this coming Wednesday.
