Almost 70 concerned members of the public came out to a meeting in Swift Current last night to ask their local MHA why the Eastern School District has recommended closing Swift Current Academy and have the students bussed to school in Clarenville.
Calvin Peach, MHA for Bellevue, heard time and time again on Thursday night the problems that will arise from putting children on a bus for an estimated hour and a half – twice a day.
From potential motion sickness and emergency bathroom breaks to traveling the TCH during winter with a busload of tired kids, the concerns kept coming.
"Picture this, white-out (snow) conditions, a bus full of kids, if you go off the road, it's going to roll. There are no seat belts. When you put kids on a trip that long, things are going to happen. My daughter asked me, 'what if I need to use the bathroom?'" said Marie Butt, a mother of three, two of which attend Swift Current.
Paulette Shea brought similar concerns.
"I don't believe (the young children) could handle it physically or emotionally and it will interfere with their school work. Safety pops to the front of the mind (on this issue)."
To see more coverage on this issue, see next Thursday's edition of the Packet.
rmair@thepacket.ca
