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Survey on closing schools delayed

UBC expert hired to help draft questionnaire

Clare Ogilvie

A survey of parents in School District 48 regarding whether schools should close during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games has been delayed until later this month.

“The board had hoped the survey questionnaire would be ready for distribution during the first week of April,” said school board chair Dave Waldren.

“But preparing the questionnaire has proven to be a more challenging task than originally anticipated.”

The delay is due in part to the concerns raised by parents at a number of community meetings, which the board feels it must research and understand before the questionnaire can be completed.

Those concerns have included what working parents might do with their children if schools are closed, how the schools can take advantage of any opportunities the 2010 Games might produce, and what impact closing high schools might have on graduating students and exams.

“It is imperative the board gets a complete and accurate assessment of parents’ views before it decides on whether or not to close the schools,” said Waldren.

The school board has hired an opinion survey specialist from the University of British Columbia to help design an impartial questionnaire. It’s likely it will be ready the third or fourth week of April on the district website at www.sd48.bc.ca with hard copies available at the schools.

The board will take the results of the survey into account when it makes its decision in the coming months.