WATCH ABOVE: A judge has reversed the decision to close both Lorne Middle School and Browns Flat Elementary. Global’s Andrew Cromwell reports
SAINT JOHN – The decision to close two schools has been overturned by a New Brunswick judge.
A New Brunswick judge made the ruling to quash the Department of Education’s decision to close Browns Flat Elementary and Lorne Middle School Friday.
READ MORE: Browns Flat to fight for school in court, 28 others up for review in upcoming school year
The Department of Education ordered to close the two schools under the province’s school closure policy.
But parents and community members of each school took their cases to court.
Kelly Lamrock, the lawyer who represented the schools, said the decision stands for the principle that somebody has to “ultimately be responsible.”
“If you’re going to close the schools, somebody has to be willing to stand up and say this is why I’ve made the decision and in this case that simply did not happen and it is as it turns out a fatal flaw,” he said.
In a statement, Education Minister Serge Rousselle said he’s taking time to review the decision but underlined a paragraph of the ruling that states, “I am not prepared to order the school be kept open.”
“We increased the education and early childhood development budget by $33 million,” Rousselle said. “Starting later this year, these strategic investments will be guided by new, comprehensive plans for both education and literacy that are being developed by experts and stakeholders.”
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READ MORE: 12 schools in New Brunswick up for possible closure
Ken Craft, who’s on Lorne Middle School’s Parent School Support Committee, said he was emotional when he heard the decision.
“I mean I think that many mistakes were made during the process,” he said. “What I’m glad about is now we know what the bar is, what needs to be done in order to legally close schools in the province of New Brunswick.”
READ MORE: New policy to trigger reviews of N.B. schools with low enrolment
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