‘Our kids deserve a lot better’: Trenton N.S., residents demand action as schools deteriorate

Residents say classroom conditions in Trenton, N.S., are deteriorating.

The aging brick walls of an elementary and a middle school in Trenton, N.S., tell a story of decades gone by.

The windows are worn, the paint is fading and residents say the interior of both schools reflects the same neglect.

Scott Cameron knows these schools well. He attended Trenton Elementary in Grade 6. Decades later he returned as a teacher, and now watches his grandchildren walk through the same doors he once did.

“It was built in 1966,” Cameron said. “My kids went through it, my grandkids, and I just finished up teaching here, and it’s not a good school. It’s not healthy and our kids deserve a lot better than we have right here.”

The long-standing concerns about Trenton Elementary and Trenton Middle School came to a head last week when heavy rainfall caused water to pour through the ceiling of the middle school.

The video spread quickly online, viewed more than 20,000 times, renewing calls for a replacement.

Cameron, a former teacher and member of the town’s New School Committee, says it wasn’t an isolated event.

“That was in the middle school. And that’s normal,” he said. “Teachers are concerned too about the condition of these buildings. I have pictures that look like mould running down walls from another rainstorm.”

He says parents and staff have raised health concerns for years, from breathing issues to frequent congestion, and even nosebleeds among students.

“There’s days when you would think that the sewer had broke downstairs, where the washrooms are. You can come in and all you smell is sewage,” Cameron said. “Everybody in there is just breathing the same air. The air exchange hasn’t worked for over probably 20 years.”

For parents like Lindsay Hurley, the condition of the schools feels like history repeating itself.

“You can tell when you’re inside the school that it’s old, and as soon as you step in, the air smells almost stagnant,” she said. “Nothing has really changed. They just basically slap paint on things.”

Hurley’s own parents once fought for better air quality when she was a student in the early 1990s, and now decades later, she’s fighting the same battle for her own children.

“I was surprised when I heard from some people that it’s not functioning anymore and that it hasn’t been for about seven years,” she said. “That was required 30 years ago to make it safe for us to go here.”

Her youngest two children attend Trenton Elementary. She says her youngest experiences frequent nosebleeds and sinus issues, while other parents have shares similar stories.

“Everybody is always constantly sick in this school,” she said. “It’s just not safe for the kids to be around.”

The Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education (CCRCE) says maintenance issues are being addressed as they arise.

In a statement the board said, “As announced by the province, Trenton Elementary School and Trenton Middle School will be consolidated into a new pre-primary to Grade 8 school. While the new provincial school process is underway, CCRCE still continued to ensure the existing school buildings are safe for students to learn within. As routine or major maintenance are needed, we complete the required projects.

“The recent water leak was brought to our attention yesterday. Our property management team are on-site addressing the issue.”

The province first promised Trenton a new P-8 school in 2027, but community members say they’re hearing the timeline has been pushed back.

Cameron says communication from the province has been sparce and residents feel ignored.

“We were actually on the radar for a new school back in 2013 or 2012, and then governments changed hands, and it was gone,” he said. “We were promised on in 2027, but now they’re saying maybe 2029, and that’s unacceptable.”

Cameron says the committee even helped identify a potential location, which is a parcel of land beside a park the province appeared interested in.

“That was over a year ago, and nothing’s really happened since. No follow-up, not updates, just silence,” he said.

Both schools together serve roughly 300 students. Cameron says some families have already pulled their children out due to health concerns, with others considering homeschooling.

Hurley says she may do the same.

“I would just rather them be at home safe, where the air is clean,” she said. “It’s hard to watch four other schools be completed since ours was promised, and ours doesn’t have a site selected.”

For Cameron, the issue is about fairness and the health of Trenton’s children.

“These buildings have run their course,” he said. “They’ve went through their lifespan, and it’s just not fair that our kids have to in conditions like this when you look at some other schools in our country. The kids here and the residents of this town deserve a lot better.”

As frustrations spill out beyond the classroom, community members have planned a demonstration on Wednesday, hoping to pressure the province to act and to remind officials that Trenton’s students have waited long enough.

Provincial response

In a statement to CTV News Atlantic, Minister Brendan Maguire said, “Our government recognizes the need for a new elementary and middle school for the Trenton community. That’s why we announced and remain committed to building a new Pre-primary to grade 8 school.”

Maguire said the new school is currently undergoing a site selection.

“We understand that the wait for a new school is frustrating. In the interim, our government will continue to ensure that the existing schools are safe, comfortable places for students to learn and staff to work. Let’s be very clear, our government is committed to this new build.”

The Regional Centre for Education is in charge of immediate repairs needed at schools in the province, Maguire added.

“In 2023, work began on a roof replacement at Trenton Middle which was made possible because of our government’s decision to increase the budget for school repairs from $6M under the previous Liberal government to $30M.”

In a Facebook post, Danny MacGillivray, MLA for Pictou Centre, said officials from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and the Department of Public Works, will hold an information session on the planned new school at the Trenton Elementary gymnasium at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page