BROCKVILLE – An attendance area study in North Glengarry could set a precedent for flexible secondary school boundaries for schools in the Upper Canada District School Board.
At the March 11th board meeting, trustees approved the recommendation to allow students from Maxville Public School to choose which UCDSB secondary school to attend: Tagwi Secondary School in Avonmore; or Glengarry District High School in Alexandria.
Traditionally students at Maxville PS had a choice, based on geography, to go to either high school. A majority of those students did choose to go to Tagwi while a smaller amount chose Glengarry due to cultural reasons (Celtic heritage) or program offerings. Glengarry DHS currently has the second-lowest enrolment in the UCDSB. Transportation was allowed for students who wished to go to Glengarry. That is until recent changes to transportation policies by the UCDSB eliminated those provisions in a bid to optimize transportation services.
The study to look at adopting a flexible boundary began in late 2019 after a request from that school’s parent council.
After interviewing community members, school officials in the area, and municipal officials, education consultant Phil Dawes recommended in his report that the board implement a flexible boundary option.
Under the plan, students who are in the Maxville PS boundary can choose to attend Tagwi or Glengarry beginning in Grade 7 and receive transportation to their school of choice.
Trustees unanimously approved the changes, to go into effect for the 2020-21 school year.
