Parents walk to showcase potential dangers of Ottawa public school board boundary changes

Under new proposed school boundaries, some parents worry about their kids having to cross a busy highway to get to school. CTV’s Austin Lee reports.

Alison More’s sons walk together every day to Severn Avenue Public School, their neighbourhood school.

One is in Grade 1, the other in Grade 4. Their school is so close that More can keep an eye on them all the way to school from her window.

That may come to an end with proposed changes to programs and school boundaries at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. The new boundaries threaten to force students from Severn Avenue Public School to Pinecrest Public School after Grade 4, meaning if they want to walk to school, they will need to cross over the Queensway along Pinecrest Road.

“They walk to school. There is a group of friends that meet them; they pick up friends along the way and they all have a great time together. This group of friends has been together since they were toddlers,” More said. “I’m heartbroken my kids won’t get to go to school together, they won’t get to walk to school anymore. They will be sent out of our neighbourhood, out of our community.”

Parents and students gathered Monday afternoon to walk the route to Pinecrest to show how dangerous it could be. They hope the board and their local trustee, Suzanne Nash, who participated in the walk, reconsider changing the boundaries. CTV News asked Nash for comment, but she declined the chance for an interview.

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The proposed changes will impact 123 schools, with 30 affected by changes to their grade structure. This will mean about 11,000 students may have to switch schools, about 5,000 more than in a typical year. Ashley House, the chair of the Severn Parent Council, says the board needs to take a second look at its plan.

“I hope that they see putting a highway in the middle of a school zone does not work, kids need to be able to walk and bike and be with their friends and as kids get older walk by themselves,” House said. “It was loud, it was busy, there were city buses, school buses coming so close to children. Having to constantly talk to your child and keep them close to you, it’s not relaxing, not an enjoyable way to start or end your day.”

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For many parents and students protesting Monday, they feel these changes will divide families and friends, loosening the bonds of the community and forcing kids onto buses who would prefer to continue to walk to school in their neighbourhoods.

The public-school board is still accepting public feedback on the proposed changes. There are two virtual sessions on March 24. The plan goes to the board for a final vote in April.