With up to five schools in Richmond in jeopardy of closing, a group of parents and students rallied outside Hugh Boyd secondary school tonight.
They protested outside the final open house the school district is holding to educate the community about the possible closures and solicit feedback.
“The board has not made any decisions. We have committed ourselves to an open process, a transparent process,” said Debbie Tablotney, a Richmond School Board trustee.
The provincial government has said that only schools with 95 per cent capacity will receive seismic upgrades, forcing school boards throughout the lower mainland to make tough decisions.
READ MORE: 3 Vancouver schools could close sooner than expected
“The Ministry of Education has asked us to consolidate extra space. They would like the facilities to be at 95 per cent occupancy,” said Tablotney, who said that no schools are in danger of being closed this year.
“That means closing some schools, maybe three to five is what we’re thinking. We have applied our policy and filters to the different schools.
The upside is getting our schools up to seismic code. As an insurance broker, we understand the devastation that an earthquake could cause, and it could take a long time to rebuild these schools.”
A preliminary report will be issued in June, and a final decision on which schools will be closed is expected to be made in October.