Students at W. Ross Macdonald School are calling on the Ministry of Education to fix their pool and ensure they have warm classrooms in winter.
“We’ve been having a few issues,” said Mehak Aziz, a Grade 12 student at the provincially run school for the blind and deafblind students. “For about three months there was no heat and we were basically freezing and our pool has been closed for at least a couple of years.
“We really would like to be able to learn in a warm classroom.”
Aziz was one of more than 50 students, their parents, teachers and members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation who participated in a protest Wednesday afternoon at the school’s entrance off Brant Avenue.
“I love everything about this school,” said Aziz, who comes from Toronto. “It has changed me as a person.
“I never used to speak to anyone because I was so shy but the teachers and people here have really helped me grow.”
Aziz was joined by her friend, Yehati Antone, a Grade 6 student, and Yehati’s mother, Stephanie, who is chair of the school’s parent council.
“I’m here to support the teachers and the students but I’m also here as a parent who has questions about accountability,” Antone said. “We’re calling on the Ministry of Education to address some of the long-term chronic challenges plaguing our schools and it’s not just here, it’s at all of the provincial schools.
“Facilities are not being upgraded in a timely matter. And why are some of the facilities out of service?”
But Grace Lee, a spokesperson for Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce, said the government is committed to supporting provincial and demonstration schools.
“Our government is firmly committed to supporting and promoting provincial and demonstration schools in providing quality learning opportunities for these exceptional students, which is why we are investing in upgrading the school, maintaining strong levels of investment and staffing,” Lee said in a statement.
“We will continue to support, fund and operate these schools – supported by the highest investment in special education funding in Ontario history – as we know how vital they are to the health and success of students and their families.”
Ontario operates seven so-called provincial and demonstration schools. Besides the Brantford school, the ministry is responsible for the direct operation of the six other schools in Belleville, London and Milton.
Antone and other parents said they fear the neglect of school infrastructure is part of a strategy to close the provincial schools.
“My daughter loves the school, she loves being here and she loves all of the activities,” she said. “We love the small classroom setting for her and the support she gets.”
Antone said W. Ross Macdonald has been a remarkable difference in the life of her daughter, who has attended other schools.
Ministry officials said that about $6.9 million in capital improvements have been dedicated to the schools over the last three years. That includes program enhancements at WRMS such as a track and field renewal and accessibility project, swimming pool repairs and commercial kitchen upgrades. And there are also improvements to student lodging to accommodate more beds and classrooms upgrades to improve Internet connectivity.
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