Harrow high committee to meet with Essex Council to discuss legal matters

A committee dealing with the closure of Harrow High School will meet with Essex Town Council tonight to discuss legal matters related the school.

Last week, the Ontario Ministry of Education denied a request to review the school board's decision to close the high school.

Despite the denial, the committee is encouraging members of the community to continue to support efforts to bring its concerns to the attention of the board.

"I think that's really all we're asking for right now, is the opportunity to prove that there are other alternatives," said Russ Phillips, Essex CAO. "The school board seems to have taken the position of closing the school, selling it off, getting out of Harrow.

"We feel that that's not a good solution for the social economic vitality of the community in the long run."

In October, Trustees for the Greater Essex County District School Board voted 5-4 in favour of closing Harrow High at the end of June 2016.

In November, lawyer James Cooke, working on behalf of the Town of Essex, filed a formal request for review of the program accommodation review process and the board's decision. The town was notified late Jan. 11 of the Ministry of Education's decision to deny that request.

Phillips says there needs to be better support from the ministry for rural education.

"We feel that students being taught in their own community by their own community and being brought up in their own community are much better off than somebody that's being bussed for an hour in one direction or another or two hours I guess every day."

The hope had been to keep Harrow High School open by offering specialized courses.

More than 100 people attended a public meeting at the Camoes Portuguese Club in Harrow on Jan. 6, where the idea of developing a specialized curriculum was discussed. The idea was a curriculum spanning from junior kindergarten though Grade 12 that includes courses in skilled trades, agriculture, agri-food, tourism and hospitality.

However, Phillips now says it's time for students to start thinking about where they will attend school in September, assuming Harrow's high school is closed.

"It's evident that the school is going to remain closed. We weren't successful in overturning that, and we're very disappointed in the decision, but we need to at the same time recognize that students have to take actions now to prepare for the inevitable closure of Harrow District High School and they should be making alternate arrangements for their studies for next year."

The board expects students will attend Kingsville District High School, which is about 16 km — or a 15-minute car ride — away.
Another option is Villanova Catholic High School in LaSalle.