Condition of Oxford school forces students to be sent to Pugwash

OXFORD, N.S. - Anxiety is growing for parents in the town of Oxford, N.S. as the first day of school is fast approaching and parents are still searching for answers as to where their kids will go to school, and how they will get there.

The P-12 Oxford Regional Education Centre, which first opened in January 2010, will not be opening for the first day of classes due to issues with the mortar --  and students will now be bussed 26 kilometers to schools in Pugwash.

Parents say the last minute changes have made it difficult to make plans for things like after-school child care, transportation and extra-curricular activates.

“There is concerns with safety, there is concerns with the health and well-being of the children that are going to Pugwash, and we’re asking the questions and we’re not getting the answers,” said parent, Heather Jacklin.

At an information meeting this past week, parents say school officials had no answers for how long the relocation might last.

“It worries me that once they get them to Pugwash, and they get them there, that they say they have space for us, we can make this work. That they’re gonna feel that this is a great plan and they don’t even have to reopen the school,” said parent, Kelly Smith.

The Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education represents 67 schools in central and northern Nova Scotia. On its website dated yesterday, they answer a number of questions about the relocation, but also say they’re still working on details for transportation – but that’s not good enough for parents.

“They’re already moved it from Thursday to Friday for start-up, so why can’t we move it a little bit further? Put the plans and protocols and policies into place, give parents the information so that they know the decisions that they need to make in order to get their children to school safely," said Jacklin.

On the website, school officials say once the results of their investigation into the mortar issues are complete the timeline for repair will be shared with the community.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh.