Parents of children attending Derby Public School feel betrayed. The Owen Sound area school could close as early as next September.
The Bluewater District School Board is initiating an Accommodation Review of Owen Sound and area schools and Derby is on the list. Staff is recommending Derby close along with Bayview Public and Dufferin Elementary.
Two years ago trustees at the time voted to keep Derby open after a lengthy accommodation review. Parents were promised the school would stay open for at least five more years.
Julie Gorman led the fight to keep the school open. She can hardly believe the school's under review again.
"In the summer when some of my friends came to me and said what are you going to do if they put us under review again and I said I really don't think they're that stupid to put us on review again but apparently they proved me wrong tonight," says Gorman.
Cheryl Curry has two children at Derby. She wonders what she's going to tell them.
"The board looked at them and promised them five more years. Those kids celebrated. They (trustees) promised five years and they have broken their word and that disgusts me."
Julie Gorman says she won't be leading any fight to keep Derby open this time because she's sick of the entire system. She and other parents say they'll look into options other than the Bluewater Board to educate their children.
Bluewater Director of Education Steve Blake says board bylaws allow them to review and change past decisions after at least a year.
Meaford Schools will also be under review and Meaford Community School could be closed.
The decisions by Bluewater Board trustees to initiate the accommodation reviews were made in a Committee of the Whole meeting. The decisions still have to finalized at a regular board meeting later this month.