'It's lie after lie' say protesting parents at school board meeting discussing B. Davison's future

Public school board officials tried to assure the public that there were no plans to close the vocational B Davison Secondary School at a special board meeting Tuesday, but parents and other supporters of the school weren't buying the explanations. 

A crowd of protesting parents and concerned community members attended a special meeting of trustees at the Thames Valley District School Board's (TVDSB) head office on Tuesday to discuss the fate of B. Davison Secondary School.  

There are no plans to close or resize the school, but there has been a gradual decrease in enrolment over the past decade, said associate director Riley Culhane. 

"This pattern continued right up until 2021 where there were only 5 students interested in attending Grade 9 at B. Davison," he said, adding that no students registered for Grade 9 this year.

The decline is due to a variety of factors, including students leaving the school due to increased program offerings at their home schools, a greater emphasis on technology in schools, along with courses at B. Davison that don't allow access to college and university, Culhane said. 

"From an equity perspective, the structure of B. Davison disadvantages students and doesn't allow for equal opportunities as it's been based on a philosophy of streaming students into a separate track based on perceived ability," he said. 

But Audean Green, who has two special needs children that are now adults, said school board administrators were evading the real questions. 

"It's lie after lie," she said. "How are students able to participate in a school environment when everything is being taken away from them?"

Green said her daughter graduated from B. Davison three years ago and now works at the Catholic school board. She believes that according to TVDSB standards, her daughter would be considered a failure. 

"What is it they're offering? They stopped accepting enrolment and now they're having to find a way out. I don't know how many times they refused to answer a simple question in this meeting."

Director of Education Mark Fisher said it's students who are making informed decisions to choose other schools after realizing the difference between their perceived and actual abilities.  

Unclear communication

In a lengthy question period, trustees asked why there was such a gap in communication that allowed parents to assume the school would shut down as opposed to being re-purposed.

Fisher said the information was provided to trustees last June but in a broader report. He said administrators would have done a thorough consultation during this school year, but the pandemic delayed those plans. 

"We seem to have made a decision without making a decision to stop people from accessing the program, and our reasons for that can be solid, but the appearance is that we've done something that's not transparent," said trustee Sherri Moore.

Board chair Lori-Ann Pizzolato pointed to other TVDSB schools which offer gifted and arts programs where like-minded students can interact in a congregate setting and asked why that can't apply to B. Davison.

But research from Ontario's Ministry of Education shows that having students in Grades 7 and 8 choose a pathway at such a young age is too early, Culhane said. 

'Marginalized outskirts'

Culhane also said students from marginalized backgrounds have been disproportionately placed in programs like the ones offered at B. Davison.

"We need to ensure that our students are placed in the least restrictive learning environment," he said. "An environment that really fosters inclusivity and allows them to maximize those learning opportunities."

Green strongly disagrees. She said her family doesn't come from a marginalized community but are still part of the Davison family.   

"That's what they've relegated us to. We're poor, marginalized, [and on the] outskirts, and that couldn't be further than the truth," she said.

Dorothy Miller was a part of B. Davison's administration for many years. She believes the board is going to do whatever it wants and is picking on some of the most vulnerable students. 

"These children deserve a chance to learn with their peers and people, where they aren't going to be ostracized for their challenges. It was a welcoming place on the whole," she said. 

She worries that students won't get the same level of care and support when they go to other schools. 

"There is no conspiracy here," Fisher said. "What we're trying to do is what is best for our kids and our communities. Full stop."