Queen’s Park — After months of fighting alongside families and education workers at provincial and demonstration schools, New Democrats got results and forced the government to commit to keeping these schools open after 2016. NDP Education Critic Lisa Gretzky issued the following statement in response to the Minister’s comments clarifying the future of the schools:
“Families and education workers can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that our specialized provincial and demonstration schools will remain open beyond 2016. Over the past several months parents, students and education workers partnered with New Democrats from day one and fought tirelessly for the future of these schools.
While the government’s announcement is a positive step for our students with specialized learning and language needs, I remain cautious about any promises this government makes given their record on this issue. It’s unfortunate that the Minister of Education continued to create uncertainty with yesterday’s announcement and forced families to once again seek clarification on the future of their schools. To date, the government’s consultation process has been fraught with uncertainty and misinformation. As the NDP Education Critic, along with the support of my New Democratic colleagues, I will continue to partner with families and monitor this issue closely to make sure that the government lives up to its commitments regarding the future of these schools.”