South Shore school board faces legal challenge over elementary closures

A community group in Nova Scotia is turning to legal action to help save one of two South Shore elementary schools slated to close next year.

Petite Rivière and Pentz elementary schools will be shut down after the next school year in July 2018 because of a misunderstanding. 

The South Shore Regional School Board voted for the closures back in 2013, but some members mistakenly thought the schools would close only if a replacement was built.

The board's lawyer has told them the decision is final, even though there are no plans for a new school.

Fighting the closure

A group of parents have now formed the Greater Petite Area Community Association to fight the decision. They say as a last resort, they're taking the board to court with a request for a judicial review.

Under their own legal advice, they believe the board has the power to reverse the motion that set the closure dates.

"It's certainly not our first choice," said Stacey Godsoe, association chair. "It's a stressful endeavour."

Godsoe has two children who attend Petite Rivière and a third who just graduated to junior high.

"Shuttering that school and depriving this community of that essential service has huge impacts for our community and rural sustainability at large."

The association is now fundraising to foot the bill for its legal representation.

The school board did not respond to a request for an interview. 

Alternate solutions

The government has also presented a solution.

Education Minister Karen Casey offered $6 million to upgrade one of the schools instead of closing it, but the board is moving ahead with its initial vote.

Godsoe said the whole situation is baffling.

"There's a legal way out, there's a will in the community and there's a solution, a financial solution being offered from the minister. So it just seems like a win-win-win and it's confusing as to why they don't take that."

Other schools spared

Last week, four elementary schools in two separate Nova Scotia school boards were spared by their boards. The Strait Regional and Chigenecto-Central school boards held special meetings to save the schools. 

Godsoe said those reversals have given South Shore parents hope that a solution can be found.

The community association has a court date on May 16 to see if its request for a judicial review will move ahead.

Godsoe said the association would happily drop its case if the board agrees to do a proper school review or reverses the decision and saves one of the schools.

If the closures go ahead as planned, students would be bused to Hebbville, which for some would mean 50 minutes on a bus each way.