Trent Thibodeau, the president of the Maple Grove student council, had also hoped to give a presentation to the board. Although he had submitted a request to make a presentation, his presentation didn’t appear on the agenda. He was told at the meeting it was because he had not followed the proper procedure for requesting and filing a presentation, although he said he was never told what the procedure was. Following the meeting he said he was disappointed that he never got to have his say.
“They have a banner above where they sit that says Students First, I don’t feel they put students first . . . they ignored our opinions and that’s not fair,” he said.
He shared a copy of his presentation with The Vanguard, parts of it read:
“With the proposed changes there are many things to consider, such as the grade eight students of Maple Grove missing out on the graduation of their school. They are simply moved to the Yarmouth Junior High without a celebratory event to show their successes and goals that they have achieved during their time at Maple Grove.
“There is also the fact that the students who would have been going to Yarmouth Junior High for their grade seven and eight for next year are now being told they have to move to a Maple Grove. This does not allow them to walk home for lunch and can be an added cost to the household.
“There is also the additional cost to the taxpayers to bus students from the town of Yarmouth to Maple Grove. With the cuts to education this further will remove resources that could be used in the classroom for further education and meeting the students’ needs.”
Aside from the presentations that were heard, the issue of the board’s motion on the reconfiguration of the schools was not included as an item for discussion on the board’s agenda. At the end of the meeting when board members could make inquiries Anne Moses did ask some questions about the proposed changes and at the end of the meeting Surette gave her notice of motion.
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In the middle of the meeting superintendent Phil Landry annoyed those in the crowd when he read two letters of support for the school board’s decision. The letters applauded the fact that there will be equality of programming for students and encouraged the board to not back down from its decision. One letter was written by Meadowfields principal David Sollows, the other was written by Yarmouth high school principal Brent Jamieson.
People who were at the meeting questioned why letters against the board’s decision were also not read aloud at the meeting. Why did board members make no mention of the emails and phone calls they have received, people asked?
Still, not everyone is against the board’s decision to reconfigure the grade levels at the school. While there is a Facebook group against the changes, another group has popped up for people who support the board’s decision.
But the people who support the board’s decision have not been as vocal as those who are against it. And those who are against the board’s action are intending to press on with their fight.
After the meeting Kerry Muise of the Maple Grove SAC said they have consulted a lawyer, although she said, “Negotiation is the way to go here, nobody wants to drag this out in the court, that would be a waste of time and resources on everybody’s part. All we’re asking is just slow down and do it right. That’s not a lot to ask.”
After the meeting many people confronted school board members about the board’s decision. Board member Alden Fells asked people to forward their concerns and opinions to him.
“I want your concerns to be heard,” he said. Parent Debbie Hamilton told him parents and students should have input on a decision that impacts so many.
“You removed the students, the staff and the parents from this process, it’s not right,” she said. “You have to give time, you have to announce it to an incoming class at Maple Grove so they know they’re not going to be graduating in Grade 9. My daughter shouldn’t learn with 40 days left of school she won’t be graduating from her school.”
Some families of special needs students are especially concerned over the rush to implement the change to the schools. One of these is the family of student Lyem Magennis. Lyem, who will be moving onto Grade 9 next year, has Barth Syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder that weakens the heart muscle and can cause a person to go into cardiac arrest without warning.
Because of that staff at his school are trained in the use of a defibrillator. Lyem’s family is concerned with the short timeframe that the board is allotting for the transitioning of special needs students, saying people need time to prepare for these students and to be trained to deal with their medical needs.
