After three public consultations in Carievale, Radville and Wapella, special presentations and written submissions from parents, community groups and School Community Councils, the Board of Education of the South East Cornerstone Public School Division finalized school attendance boundaries, to be in effect at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.
Board Chair Harold Laich said a wide range of opinions were received and considered by the board before final decisions were made.
"The most difficult decisions were around the question of how arbitrary the board should be in its administrative procedure regarding the desirability to maintain program viability of existing schools in their respective communities, while also respecting the wishes of parents who want their children to attend a school of choice. In the end, the board decided to grandfather families currently attending school outside of their attendance boundary, and has implemented a 'courtesy rider' program to facilitate parental requests for school choice," said Laich.
In keeping with administrative procedures 305 and 306, the board will continue to adhere to the following as it relates to Student Transportation.
The board will grandfather the transportation of only those students currently approved within an attendance area to an area outside of their attendance area until the students and their siblings have completed the K-12 education system with the South East Cornerstone Public School Division.
The Courtesy Rider Program will accommodate students wishing to attend a school outside of their attendance area, at an existing pick up zone, based on criteria established in administrative procedure 306. These existing pick up zones are within the new attendance area that the student wishes to attend.
New families will be required to adhere to Administrative Procedures 305 and 306 and will be afforded the Courtesy Rider Program.
The Board of Education believes it now has clear procedures to serve the needs of students, parents and school communities, and to provide direction for senior administration who handle such requests. For more information and to view finalized attendance boundaries, visit the website at www.cornerstonesd.ca/Board.
