Restricting students from riding transfer buses to schools outside of their designated attendance area will not fix declining enrolment issues, parents told Pembina Hills Public Schools trustees at two public meetings last week.
PHPS hosted meetings at Barrhead Elementary School Feb. 17 and Westlock Elementary School Feb. 18 to present a proposal that arose from the attendance area review that the division hosted in the fall.
“During that consultation process in November and December, some parents and community members told us that our practice of providing bussing to students who choose to attend an out-of-attendance area school was hurting our local schools,” said board chair Jennifer Tuininga.
“They wondered why we, as a school division, would bus children away from their community schools.”
In light of that input, Tuininga said they are proposing restricting students from riding transfer buses across attendance boundaries to a school of choice.
“Parents still have the option of driving their child to a school of choice, or if there is room on the bus, driving their child to an existing stop in the receiving school’s attendance area,” she added.
The proposed restriction would not affect students riding a transfer bus to a school outside of their attendance area in order to attend French Immersion or a Christian education program. Neerlandia students who did not want to attend Christian education would also not be affected.
As well, it would not affect students who are directed to a different school because they have special needs that can’t be met at their designated school.
Tuininga said they believe that local schools are the first choice of communities, and attendance at local schools contributes to the viability of all schools.
Tuininga said this proposal would affect approximately 50 K-8 students throughout the division, including 24 students riding transfer buses to Eleanor Hall School in Clyde, four students going to Busby School and five students going to Pembina North.
That does not include the 21 Grade 9 students at Eleanor Hall, Fort Assiniboine and Pembina North Community School in Dapp, since they will have to be transported to either R.F. Staples School or Barrhead Composite High School.
The meetings were held to hear the input of parents affected by this decision. An online survey was also hosted at the Pembina Hills website.
“We’re not bringing this to you because of money. We’re bringing this to you because people from the community consultations in November and December said this is hurting our local schools,” Tuininga said.
During both meetings, parents were split into groups with trustees and Pembina Hills staff recording responses to four questions: how will this affect you, what do you think of the change, what could be done to mitigate the affects and what the board should consider when making a decision.
At the Westlock meeting, one parent mentioned her child is experiencing some emotional and mental health issues connected to her current school and teachers have even suggested she go to another school.
Another parent suggested that having to change schools because they can no longer ride the bus will cause anxiety issues for her children. As well, it would cause them to miss out on some extra-curricular activities.
Other parents pointed out that they may send their children to another school because their community doesn’t have after-school care or day homes, and having to go their designated school will result in children being left alone for a couple hours.
It was suggested that this proposal “punishes working parents” who can’t drive their kids to a school of choice, and would cause disruption in their families.
“If this is implemented, you are ultimately just impacting working families and potentially the employment of these families, because work hours don’t match school hours,” one woman said.
Two groups stressed the point that the issue of declining enrolment at rural schools will not be fixed by stopping kids from riding transfer buses, as more than half of students attending schools of choice are driven by their parents.
A parent from the Flatbush area said that when W.R. Frose School in Fawcett closed, local families made the choice to attend “the next best school” in Westlock. Stopping transfer buses affects that choice, she said.
One man said that if they’re paying extra for the bus service, parents should be allowed to decide where their kids attend school. “We pay for bussing, we should be able to go where they wish,” he added.
If Pembina Hills makes the decision to restrict children from riding transfer buses, several parents suggested that the division “grandfather” in the students currently riding them.
They should also consider grandfathering in siblings of students now riding the bus, and allowing parents to individually plead their case to Pembina Hills.
Parents stressed that this decision could potentially uproot families, and possibly even result in some parents deciding to send their kids to St. Mary School.
A full report detailing both meetings and the online survey was set to be published on the Pembina Hills website Feb. 20.
Trustee will make a decision regarding the proposed change on March 2.
