The lawyer who recently won his case against the New Brunswick government to overturn its decision to close Brown's Flat Elementary and Lorne Middle School says there should be no question if they will open after Labour Day.
“There's no doubt about their legal status,” said Lawyer Kelly Lamrock. “They're open. In New Brunswick, a school is open until somebody legally closes it using the process and the court has just said that decision to close is like it didn't happen.”
In his decision, Judge Darrell Stephenson said government did not follow its own policy on school closures, but stopped short of ordering the schools to re-open.
Lamrock says if government wanted to try and shut the schools down again, it would have to start at the beginning of the process.
He says that can’t be done.
“There’s no way they could close it before school,” said Lamrock. “It's open today and parents are entitled to show up and expect principals and teachers to greet them.”
News of the decision invoked mixed emotions in Cole's Island, where one of their schools closed last June.
“I felt sick to my stomach because our school is closed, but I’m happy they're still open,” said one Cole’s Island resident.
Cole’s Island School had 30 students ranging from kindergarten to Grade 5 when it closed.
The community fought to save its school, but did not join the court case because of money.
“Maybe we could've done more, but at this moment I don't see what we could've done anymore,” said one Cole’s Island resident.”
Lamrock says the minister used the same form letter when closing every school.
“Now we have a decision saying, ‘That form letter isn't good enough minister.’ He has placed all the districts in a place where any one of these tomorrow could be challenged,” he said.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.
