Latest news with #SandownePublicSchool
CTV News
9 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Fenced off and shut out: Elizabeth Ziegler families continue to wait for engineering report
The Waterloo Region District School Board says it plans on sharing the findings of a structural engineering report on Elizabeth Ziegler Public School later this week. Families have been waiting for the report, which they hope will shed some light on the future of the shuttered school. 'It's been three months since the original issue was found and there have been structural assessments that have been happening,' said Ian McDonald, whose daughter used to attend Elizabeth Ziegler. 'The challenge is, we're a few weeks past the deadline that the board set to report on what those findings are.' Elizabeth Ziegler Public School in Waterloo façade damage Part of the exterior of Elizabeth Ziegler Public School in Waterloo appeared to be missing on March 4, 2025. (Dave Pettit/CTV News) His daughter now has to take the bus to Sandowne Public School. 'Sandowne is on the other side of the highway. So, the kids are busing across and will bus again next year,' McDonald explained. Some of the students are still learning at Elizabeth Ziegler in portables behind the school. But McDonald's daughter already knows she'll be going to Sandowne again next year, along with hundreds of other students, as the school board has extended the closure of Elizabeth Ziegler. Elizabeth Ziegler Public School in Waterloo A fence blocked off access to Elizabeth Ziegler Public School in Waterloo, Ont. on March 4, 2025 due to structural testing. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) 'It's really the lack of information that's been a problem,' said McDonald. 'I'm worried there's a lack of urgency and accountability in the board and in the trustees at this phase of the process.' That frustration comes from the fact that a structural engineering report has yet not been released, especially due to concerns about the safety of the building's façade. McDonald praised the teachers and staff at both schools for making the transition as smooth as possible. The fact that the board missed self-imposed deadlines for releasing the report, he noted, also impacts staff and leaves them in limbo too. Until Monday, the board had repeatedly said it had not yet received the report from the engineering firm, which was why nothing had been released. 'I think we're already thinking about 2026-27. That's 15 months away. When this originally happened, it was 18 months,' said McDonald. 'But if the issues here are more significant and the school needs to be torn down or otherwise, something that might take multiple years, I think we deserve to know so we can make better plans.' He also worries about how much money may be spent in the assessment phase and any eventual repairs, and wonders what will be left to make his daughter's school experience a good one upon a return to Elizabeth Ziegler – if there even is one.
CBC
17-03-2025
- General
- CBC
Portables arrive at Waterloo's Elizabeth Ziegler Public School as in-person learning set to resume
Portable classrooms will be added to the property at Elizabeth Ziegler Public School in Waterloo and the school board says it hopes in-person learning could resume as early as this Friday. The Kindergarten to Grade 6 school was closed on March 4 due to safety concerns about the building's facade. On Friday, the Waterloo Region District School Board said that based on a structural engineering firm's assessment, "we are not able to occupy any part of the Elizabeth Ziegler PS building." "Addressing these concerns will take time and the engineers estimate this work could take months to complete," the board said. On Monday afternoon, the board revealed plans to get over 500 students and staff back to in-person learning. Most students will remain on the school's property, but will be in portable classrooms. Some students will need to go to other schools. Here's the breakdown of where students will be going: English stream students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and extended day programs will remain at the school's property in portable classrooms. French immersion students will moved to Sandowne Public School. Congregated Alternative Continuum of Education (or ACE) Program students will be moved to JW Gerth Public School. Students who are part of the enrichment program will be moved to Brigadoon Public School. The board says seven additional portables are being moved onto the school property. As well, there will be two washroom and two office trailers at the site. All of the French immersion students are being moved to Sandowne Public School to keep them together. "It ensures that teacher-student relationships will be maintained. This provides continuity and was deemed a priority in supporting this transition," the board said. Two portables will be added to Sandowne Public School to accommodate these students. "The students and staff moving to Sandowne PS will operate using the 'school within a school' model. It allows the students and staff to remain part of the Elizabeth Ziegler school community," the board said. When it comes to transportation: French immersion students will be bused to Sandowne from Elizabeth Ziegler in the morning, and from Sandowne to Elizabeth Ziegler in the afternoons. ACE Program students will be bussed from their homes to JW Gerth Public School. Congregated enrichment students will be bussed from their homes to Brigadoon Public School. In all cases, the board says transportation times are still being finalized.
