Sudbury mother 'heartbroken' Lansdowne School may close

A Sudbury mother says she's not looking forward to telling her twin girls their school may close in 2019.

The Rainbow District School Board announced this week it's conducting what's called an accommodation review of schools in the area.

No final decisions have been made yet, but the board has released a proposal outlining which schools could close and when.

One school that may be affected is Lansdowne Public School. According to the board, French immersion students may be moved into Alexander Public School, while non-immersion students could move to a new school on the Queen Elizabeth Public School site.

Rebecca Coughlin's twin daughters Héloïse and Sophia are set to start grade one this year at Lansdowne. Coughlin said she was heartbroken when she heard the school may close in 2019.

"We picked this neighbourhood for a few reasons, but one of them that was really important to us is that we're going to be able to walk our kids to school," she said.

The board said the public will have an opportunity to provide input, as public meetings will be held this fall. Coughlin said she's pleased parents will be able to provide feedback, but wonders if the decision is a done deal, considering a detailed proposal has been released.

"I'm not sure what the point of any public consultation will be after the decision has been made," she said. "I hope there will be a chance for maybe some changes in those decisions."

Many schools affected

In total, the board is reviewing six different areas which could result in the closure of 12 schools.

Barb Blasutti is the head of the union representing public elementary school teachers in the Sudbury area. She said she was shocked to see so many schools on the list which could be affected.

"Usually when you talk about the accommodation review process and school closures, we normally deal with numbers so small, you know, one or two schools per year," she said.

Blasutti said she's already started to receive calls from teachers who are concerned about the proposal.

"The thing that's very difficult for teachers is there's an identity that belongs to working at a certain school and teachers get very attached to the school," she said.

She added she's not sure yet if the proposed changes could result in layoffs.

"As long as the number of students remains status quo, then the number of teachers in the system is relatively unaffected," she said.

The board said final decisions are expected in January 2017.