Classroom reorganization raises concerns for parents as ministry, school boards respond

Some students in Waterloo Region are returning from the Thanksgiving long weekend to a new set of classmates as part of a classroom shuffle that has raised concern among some parents.

In an email to 570 NewsRadio, a concerned parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said her child was in tears after learning that they would have to leave all the new friends they’ve already made this new school year and get shuffled into a new classroom starting this week.

This shuffle is a yearly occurrence according to a spokesperson for Scott Miller, the associate director of the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB).

The spokesperson for Miller says the school board assesses enrolment numbers after the school year has started and shuffles around staff accordingly, all while keeping the budget and student well-being in mind.

“Change is always challenging and when we do this each year, we always keep in mind this may be difficult news for some of the students, staff and families impacted,” said the spokesperson for Miller. “What we do know is that we have amazing, qualified, staff who care about the learning and well-being of students and who are aware of and support students through these transitions.”

“We are confident that WRDSB staff will continue to work hard to ensure that all students feel welcome and a sense of belonging at school and in their classrooms.”

At the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), they mark Thanksgiving as the cutoff for assessing classroom numbers before reorganizing if necessary in order to meet provincial guidelines for class sizes.

“Our priority remains providing a supportive and equitable learning environment for all students,” said a spokesperson for the WCDSB.

The concerned parent says better planning is needed to make sure kids aren’t disrupted this far into the school year. They allege that one small Kindergarten class was broken up and distributed amongst three other classrooms, bumping the number of students in each of those classrooms to around 30.

The Ministry of Education’s standards are set so that, in Kindergarten, no class should have more than 32 students, and 90 per cent of classes need to have 29 students or fewer.

A spokesperson for Jill Dunlop, the Minister of Education, says student enrolments in Waterloo Region have remained “relatively stable”, adding that the WRDSB has received almost $30 million in core funding from the provincial government.

“All school boards are expected to ensure there is minimal disruption to students as they reorganize classes based on actual student enrollment after the school year starts,” said the spokesperson for Dunlop.