A Vancouver Island elementary school has come under fire from parents after converting an outdoor storage area into a classroom.
“It seems like a third-world country or a jail classroom,” said Shirley Galbraith, whose 10-year-old son attends Departure Bay Elementary.
“This is not OK for children.”
The school prefers to call the space “Dolphin’s Cove.” It is now complete with tables, chairs, a whiteboard and even a projector.
It’s a creative approach to accommodate the recent bump in enrollment while the district waits on a portable, according to deputy superintendent Tim Davie.
“The school is built on the hill, so we obviously want to ensure that we have the best location for the portable,” he said.
In a letter sent home to parents, a Grade 6 and 7 teacher from the school sells the idea, writing, “We are going to have an adventure… I will be encouraging them to have jackets and good footwear each day.”
It goes on to say, “You may hear the term ‘the cage’ … we will be hanging our backpacks and jackets there and using that as our base.”
“Really what she was doing was putting a positive spin on a temporary classroom situation for these students,” Davie said.
Departure Bay Elementary has Eco-School Academy status, where outdoor learning is part of the curriculum.
But Galbraith says, the chain link classroom crosses a line.
“There is a way to do eco-schooling correctly, and it doesn’t involve a metal cage, learning math outside.”
An original schedule showed students would only be in “the cage” for 15-minute intervals, but that has since changed.
An update provided to parents on Wednesday states, “There are now indoor spaces for the classes at all times with minimal movement. The outdoor classroom area is now ready for classes to use at their own discretion.”
“It is a 100 per cent backpedal in my opinion,” said Galbraith.
“They are desperately trying to make it not seem as bad as it is.”