Parent Advisory Committee asking for clarity on Duchess Park catchment enforcement

School District 57’s District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) had some questions for trustees at last night’s meeting.

It seems this months’ announcement regarding the enforcement of Duchess Park’s catchment area as of next year left many parents confused.

“The concern is that they don’t understand whether or not enforce catchment area is in line with policy 5119, which makes a very clear distinction between transfers and transitions,” says Gillian Burnett, DPAC chair for the district.

As per School District 57’s policy 5119, transfers occur anytime a student moves from one school to another, while transition refers to students moving from an elementary school to a secondary school after Gr. 7.

The confusion seems to stem from the fact that the school district has said that all students in Duchess Park’s catchment area will still have priority to attend the school but so will students going to designated feeder schools, including the French immersion programs at Lac des Bois and Edgewood Elementary.

“A family that currently lives within the Kelly Road catchment and attends Edgewood – would their Gr. 7 student be entitled to go to Duchess? Would a family that resides within the Duchess Park catchment, but currently attends Polaris Montessori, be entitled to transition to Duchess Park?”

Burnett and DPAC have asked the district to clarify its position before Dec 12, when the committee meets next.

“Does the motion supersede policy 5119? Is it in line with policy 5119? Unfortunately, there’s some very different ideas both within and without the district, as to what that actually looks like and how that’s going to take place.”

Previously, School Board chair Tony Cable had said that all catchment students and all French immersion students would be given priority for enrolment at Duchess Park as of next year.