Chelmsford high school students stage walkout over possible school closure
Rainbow Board is considering merging Chelmsford with Val Caron high school
Students at Chelmsford Valley District Composite School walked out of class this morning to protest the proposed consolidation of their school.
In September, the Rainbow District School Board issued a proposal to help make up for a $3.6 million shortfall — and to adjust to declining enrolment.
It would see CVDCS absorbed into Confederation Secondary School in Val Caron.
Protest organizers are expecting a strong turnout from the student body.
"We're expecting all of our school, really, so around 300 students," said Kendra Brenton-Levesque, a member of the school's student council.
"We have a tonne of signs. They say lots of stuff, like 'Local schools matter,' like, 'Honk for support', 'Save Our Schools', 'Save Chelmsford'," she said.
If the board's proposal moves forward, students from Chelmsford will bus into Val Caron, and the CVDCS school will be re-purposed as an elementary school.
Last week, students at Lively High also walked out in protest. That school could be broken up and absorbed into Walden Public School, Lockerby Composite School and Sudbury Secondary School.