‘Grossly over capacity’: Parents concerned as two Waterloo schools prepare to merge
Posted Apr 25, 2025 07:16:21 AM.
Last Updated Apr 25, 2025 12:01:28 PM.
Issues continue to mount for families of Elizabeth Ziegler and Sandowne Public Schools, as students prepare to merge this coming school year.
It comes more than two months after safety concerns were raised at Elizabeth Ziegler after a stone slab fell off the facade of the building, with later tests leading to the closure of the school for the upcoming 2025-2026 year.
It means that the over 300 students will be transitioning to Sandowne Public School, with parents speaking at a public meeting to voice their concerns about the move.
“The big concerns were basically the fact that our school will be grossly over capacity next year,” said Kyla Giles, one of the parents in attendance. “Concerns in terms of safety, in terms of washrooms, in terms of shared spaces like gyms, libraries.”
Elizabeth Ziegler has been closed since March 4, with the slab of concrete having reportedly fallen on Feb. 28. It remained closed through March Break, with students being transitioned to online studies into April.
The move will include students from full-day Kindergarten through to Grade 6, along with French Immersion students.
Last year, Sandowne housed approximately 250 total students, with the Elizabeth Ziegler students along with general expected growth, meaning over 700 students are expected to attend Sandowne in September. As of now, two portable units have been installed at Sandowne, with 10 more still being set up before the coming school year begins.
One of the more common topics was the potential decline in overall child care at Sandowne, with teachers and faculty needing to be more concerned with wrangling the sheer number of students, rather than focusing on the needs of each pupil.
“I walk in and I see my Grade 1 student walking around, and every single adult that she sees, ‘Oh hey Georgia, how are you? Good job doing this, good job doing that.’ That’s gone,” said one parent during the meeting.
Giles said the main crux of the difficulties facing impacted families has come from the lack of communication from the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). She said many have been kept in the dark throughout the entire process.
“The board has done a terrible job in treating the Sandowne community with the kind of respect that I believe it deserves this year. Lots of really rushed top-down decisions that greatly impact the education of the kids in this school,” said Giles. “It was nice to have the board members here so they could hear that directly from parents.”
“Every major decision affecting Sandowne has been made without involving the people that it impacts the most. Our kids, our families, and our educators. This board has failed to act in their best interest not once, but repeatedly,” said Kyla Giles.
As of now, the future of Elizabeth Ziegler Public School remains unclear, with various safety tests and reports still needing to be conducted before any final decisions can be made.
“We’re waiting for a final report, which we’re hoping to get in four to six weeks. That will then help determine what our next steps will be with Elizabeth Ziegler Public School. Until we get that report, it’s really difficult to say,” said Director of WRDSB, Scott Miller. “Once we do, we’ll be able to see if it is a short-term, medium-term, or long-term plan going forward.”
Miller agreed with parents that the school board had failed families up to this point. He said that he hopes a better plan can be put in place moving forward to create a more consistent and thorough line of communication for any and all impacted staff, students, and families as a whole.
