A candidate seeking election as a trustee for the Near North District School Board is saying he wants all planned closings and relocations put on hold to stop students from leaving the school system.
Frank O'Hagan says parents, students, and staff has lost faith in the processes and decisions affecting them.
"With the schools not closing, but relocations being made, the stability and cultures of the individual schools and students are being affected," he told BayToday. "It's leading parents and students leaving, or considering leaving, the system entirely.
"As a prospective trustee, it would be my platform to put all future decisions on hold until that stability can be regained and look at more progressive and new ways to retain students and rebuild that sense of floundering that has allowed our main focus, the students, to be put in such positions. By holding off, there will be time to re-look at the ARC process and a variety of divisive alternatives requiring more collaboration and inclusiveness, as well as the new government's priorities for education to get everything right."
O'Hagan says by addressing the issue of declining enrolment and empty spaces in schools, the Board may want to consider being more involved in extending other partnerships to local post secondary institutions as well as those like early childhood and daycare programs.
He says there are many other ways to show leadership including sex-education, opening discussions on establishing just one school board, an establishing a multi-year plan.
