Parents are calling on the school district to clarify confusion around catchment rules.
District Parent Advisory Council president Gillian Burnett asked School District 57 at Tuesday night's board meeting to better explain the intent behind a recent rule change. At its last meeting, the board passed a motion that Duchess Park become catchment-only as a solution to constant overcrowding in the high school.
"We have been told the purpose of the motion was to create stability and certainty for the parents of students attending Edgewood elementary, Duchess Park secondary and Kelly Road secondary. That has not yet been achieved," said Burnett, adding discussions around catchment rules get "quite animated."
"There is much talk that enforcing the existing catchment means address only."
That won't be in line with the district's own policy, she said, which permits Grade 7 students transitioning to high school to attend the high school in the catchment where they live or attend a high school in another jurisdiction if their feeder elementary is connected.
For example, if a family lives in the Kelly Road catchment but attends Edgewood elementary, are they entitled to go to Duchess Park? Or can a Spruceland student whose family lives in the DP Todd catchment attend Duchess Park?
The Winnipeg Street high school has been over capacity for at least the last five years. This year preliminary numbers show 1,061 students when there should be 900.
Three of Prince George's five high schools are over capacity, with Kelly Road and PGSS several hundred below. DP Todd is only 24 students above its limit, an improvement from four years before when it was 120 over. College Heights has 73 more students than it should this year.
"We also note the policy does not provide direction how to decide which students would be considered if too many students transitioning in any given years," Burnett added. Burnett said the district should have answers ready for DPAC's next meeting Dec. 12.
