Education minister tours Moncton High

The conditions at the closed Moncton High School are unacceptable, Education Minister Jody Carr said after a tour of the building Friday.

"It's unbearable when you go into some of the rooms and you can smell the stench," he said shortly after the tour. "You can see the water coming through the building. It's unacceptable."

When asked if he would send his children to the school, Carr said, "No."

The education minister is forming a new committee, made up of a parent, a teacher, representatives from the affected schools and district officials. Their job is to come up with a Plan B in case students can't return to Moncton High next fall that does not involve shuffling other students around.

Carr said he agrees with the decision to close the school for the rest of the academic year, despite the disruption to its 1,300 students and the five other area schools affected by the closure.

He said he's sorry about the disruption and is asking for the community's patience as he looks for a long-term solution.

"We have to balance the needs of the community," said Carr. "I'm prepared to work with parents, work with my colleagues, MLAs, work with teachers and support staff to make sure we have the best opportunities for our students and teachers."

The plan is to have students back in Moncton High by September 2011.

Consultant's report pending

But Anne-Marie Picone-Ford of the Concerned Parents for Moncton High group said that's not enough.

"It's nobody's goal here to come back into this school in 2011 with Band-Aids. Nobody's going to want to come back."

Picone-Ford expressed doubt that the school would be safe to reopen next year.

"We're not getting any decisions. We have health and safety at stake and they think they're going to put these kids back in school and that's supposed to make us feel good? In 2011? That that's their goal?"

Because of health and safety concerns including mould and structural problems, Moncton High School students are being moved to various schools throughout Moncton in two phases.

Grade 11 and 12 students will be sent to Edith Cavell school at the end of October. On Nov. 15, Grade 9 and 10 students will move into the new Northrop Frye School.

A consultant's report looking at the future of Moncton High will be released next week. It will outline scenarios including scrapping the school or repairing it.

Carr announced Monday that the government will conduct a structural review of the province's 229 schools constructed before 1980.