'It’s a waste of time': Low turnout for the final day of school in Nova Scotia
As Claire Mahaney-Lion dropped her son off at school Thursday morning, she questioned the reasons behind scheduling a school day that would last fewer than two hours.
“I think it’s a waste of time,” said Mahaney-Lion. “I think school should have just ended on Tuesday.”
Some parents disagreed.
“I think it’s nice just to give them an extra bit of time, to say goodbye,” said one mother as she dropped her daughter off at school.
Emily MacNeill-Liot saw the issue in two ways.
“It does give the kids an opportunity to say goodbye to their peers,” said MacNeill-Liot. "But it is really hard for working parents to find an opportunity to actually take the kids to school and pick them up an hour later.”
In many cases, school buses had more drivers than students.
"We have three on all of the seven buses,” said a bus driver as he pulled out of the Cole Harbour High School Parking lot.
According to Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Paul Wozney, many parents, teachers and even students were all asking the same questions.
“Should this be a day of school?" said Wozney. "Is there a better use for this time, than this?”
“It is traditionally a shorter day,” said Nova Scotia Education Minister Becky Druhan in a statement. “With so many changes over the past few years due to COVID, it is great to return a sense of routine and allow students to enjoy this special day.”
Parents who have already received report cards via email may view attending the final day of school as a waste of time, but according to Wozney, some families do not have access to the internet.
“There are lots of places around the HRM where broadband internet is not accessible or affordable to people,” said Wozney.
Which meant attending school in-person for some was the fastest receive report cards.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Pro-Palestinian protesters demand endowment transparency. But it's proving not to be simple
Over the last decade, students have pushed universities to cut financial ties with fossil fuel producers, weapons manufacturers, tobacco companies and prison firms. Here's why it's not always that simple.