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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2009-04-23, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009. PAGE 7.THE EDITOR,I, like many other parents,awoke Wednesday morning tothe news of my son’s schoolbeing closed. I have attended many of the meetings discussing the possibility of this happening and was not at all shocked about the closure of one or more schools. Unfortunately a lot of the children who heard for the first time that their beloved school was closing heard from a radio and not from the teachers that they trust and adore and not from a newsletter where their parents could re-assure them that a new school would be a good choice.My frustrations go beyondthe ordinary struggles withlowered real estate andconvenience of walking to school. With both public schools being closed down, my struggles are with Avon Maitland school board members. I sat in meeting after meeting with them, alongside other taxpaying parents who were told repeatedly that their say meant something. The ministry requires such meetings to ensure that the voice of the parents and the children are heard. I sat there and listened as parents’ views flooded in on surveys, e-mails and inconstant discussion over theircomplete disgust over usingour children to fill seats inhigh schools. Not only were these educated people speaking up about the rights of their 11- and 12-year-olds but these were the parents you were instructed to listen to. It was more than abundantly clear that parents do not want their children exposed to an environment set up to meet the needs of children seven years older than themselves in order to fix your political issues. Showing up at these meetings was only the beginning step of the job board members were supposeto be doing. In repeatedattempts to prove to theparents that this was not adecision to send the Grades 7 and 8s into high school they had the ARCs and families meet over and over again to find a solution to fix the lowered enrollment of our elementary schools. But rather than listen, rather than coming to us and explaining to us that they had a plan already in motion they have taken the elementary children to fix a problem that was not even our own. They are sacrificing my children in order to save face. I am disgusted by the lack of reaction to the outpouringof concerns that families havethrown the board’s wayregarding Grade 7 and 8children going into high school. I am furious that we were ever asked to attend meetings, pay babysitters, drive to the meetings out of town and pour over numbers and ideas so that they could look into the media cameras and smile and say what a wonderful job we were doing, then turn back to the agenda they were already following. I challenge the board to gain the trust and respect of the families who do not choose, to send their children off into private education. I refuse to play yourpolitical game. You want tofill high school chairs, then doit with teenagers, not withteenyboppers. I am hoping the ones paying the salary of the ones making the decisions about our children are aware of how ignored we have been, and what a joke they have made of this system. Oh wait, I am a taxpayer and one of the parents forking over money for fundraisers. I guess I am just one of the fools who believed a word the board employees fed to me at each of the meetings I attended. Let me tell you, it won’t happen again! Joanne Smith. Letter to the editorParent expresses frustation with AMDSB THE EDITOR, I am writing in response to the Avon Maitland District School Board’s recom- mendation to close two of the schools and to put our Grade 7 and 8s into a high school setting. Not only does this decision belittle how much work went into the committee which brought forth a viable alternative (NMECE), but it reflects the dismissive attitude of the school board itself. The community was clear and adamant on what we did not want, and that was the scenario they hand picked. As a community as a whole, we were willing to band together and let our differences go by the wayside, to promote what was best for our children, not what we felt was best for our immediate town communities. Unfortunately, the board’s decision is not only shortsighted, but depicts the “status quo” mentality of those who did not go to meetings, and who held that this scenario would happen, regardless of a new “community school” project, and that public opinion did not matter. It is blatantly obvious the board had its agenda already in place and the idea to “think outside the box” was nothing but a means to distract us from what was inevitable. Therefore, I suggest, that because F.E. Madill was not part of the initial ARC proposal, that a new ARC be formed, and the veil of secrecy and motive be removed, to have an open and honest modus operandi. I am also suggesting that the board starts to observe the feelings and sentiments of the students, families and citizens that it represents, and have proactive foresight for families that may move to the county. They are undermining the importance of Huron County, its resources, and its children. I would also like to suggest that those on the Board take a course in ethics. It may improve community relations. It may also teach them, that actions do have a reaction. Huron County will not become a draw to those outside our boundaries, since a lack of quality schools are a real estate deal breaker. Our tax dollars pay board salaries, and when our small towns become ghost towns, board employees will need to step back and wonder why they are without jobs. Could it be that closing Blyth Public School, which is running at capacity, and choosing not to pursue NMECE, may be part of the catalyst? It seems that the board really wants to keep going through the process every five years of closing schools, in an effort to keep themselves gainfully employed with cushioned pensions. Kudos to you, another great job! Lisa Bieman. Letter to the editor Decision ‘belittles’ committee’s work, says parent THE EDITOR, A special thank you goes out to Cheryl Hessels who took on the role of the captain for the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s door-to-door campaign. During the cold month of February, 20 volunteers from Blyth braved the winter elements and raised a record high for the area at $1,858.50 surpassing last year’s $1,407. The goal for February Heart Month 2009 was $200,000. This year we came close coming in at $193,000. The money raised will help support the 450 world-class research teams in hospitals and universities across the province and fund critical healthy living promotional tools and resources for this community. Please help us reach our goal by calling 519-273-5212 or 1- 888-287-7775 to make a contribution today. Every dollar counts. Every day this year, six area residents will be hospitalized because of heart disease. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario funded the creation of a gene library, comprised of more than 84,000 DNA sequences found in genes related to the cardiovascular system. This library is allowing researchers and physicians to develop more targeted, leading-edge treatments than ever before – increasing these patients’ chances for faster recovery and improved quality of life. Heather Armstrong, Area co-ordinator, Heart and Stroke Foundation. For more information, or to order your 2009 key tags, contact The War Amps. E-ZEE ACCESS: TEL.: 1-800-250-3030 FAX: 1-800-219-8988 or visit our Web site at www.waramps.ca Charitable Registration No.: 13196 9628 RR0001 We are many things to many people. The War Amps CHAMP provides child amputees with financial assistance for artificial limbs. Programs like Matching Mothers, JUMPSTART, and WEBMASTERS offer special help. The War Amps... a legacy of “amputees helping amputees.” Letter Writer says thanks