Vaudreuil parents scramble after Pearson school board makes zoning change

Parents of children at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Vaudreuil say they might have to send their kids to French-language schools if the Lester B. Pearson School Board doesn't reconsider a recent zoning decision.

The board's zoning change means students from at least 50 families would be transferred to Mount Pleasant Elementary School in Hudson, about 18 kilometres away.

The decision was due to overcrowding at the Vaudreuil school, school board officials said.

The families affected are those living north of Highway 40 in Vaudreuil, a zone the school board calls "Area 57."

The changes are due to go into effect next September.

'It's been a struggle'

The board's chairwoman, Suanne Stein Day, said the school board has been dealing with a challenging situation affecting off-island schools.

"We have some schools that are very overcrowded," said Stein Day. "Pierre Elliott Trudeau is one of them, and some schools are not that crowded."

"It's been a struggle for many, many years for us to balance the population there because it grows in such bits and starts."

Parents would like the board to consider expanding the school or opening a second school in Vaudreuil.

"That's something we wouldn't get permission from the provincial government for, because there are schools in less than a 20 kilometre radius that have spaces for their students," said Stein Day.

Parents launch petition

Many parents were shocked to learn last December that the rezoning would force them to send their children to another school, and they worry they won't be able to make it work.

Kimberley Warren said she can't juggle working full-time and picking up her daughters in Hudson.

"The kids will be out of the house longer than I'll be out of the house for my work day," Warren said.

Parents believe the added commuting time will force parents to send their children to a French-language school that's closer to home instead.

Parents started a petition, in which they criticize the board for losing its student population to the French language school board and say this is yet another blow to Quebec's anglophone population.

The parents will present the petition at a meeting with the board Wednesday evening.

"We need to sit down with them and see if we can find ways to address some of their concerns and make them feel more comfortable with whatever happens in the end."

"We are hopefully on the same side," said Stein Day.