Friends of King George launch an SOS campaign

Friends of King George Public School
News Release

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A group called Friends of King George Public School is organizing a “save our school” rally to be held this Wednesday April 8, at 5:30pm in front of King George Public School, 550 Harvey Street in North Bay. Everyone who is concerned about the future of King George Public School is encouraged to attend the “save our school” rally. The rally will take place on the front steps of King George right before the Near North District School Board’s first public meeting on the potential closure of the school. The Board’s meeting will also take place at King George.

The group has been organizing for the past week in response to the Near North District School Board’s recent decision to consider closing King George and transferring all students to the soon to be vacant Pinewood Public School.

The notice that this move was under consideration came as a surprise since it had not been discussed during the Pupil Accommodation Review (ARC) process. Instead this recommendation was brought forward by the Near North District School Board after the ARC process had concluded. While initially it was suggested the closure of King George would be considered for the Fall of 2010 it is now being fast tracked to close in the Spring of 2009.

“The short time frame within which the Board has decided this must be dealt with appears to make light of what many parents, teachers and community members consider to be a very important decision,” said Jennifer Gordon, a group spokesperson. “We believe that any decisions about the future of King George should be made using the same process applied to other schools during the ARC process.”

Friends of King George have launched a website at www.friendsofkinggeorge.com to provide information to those concerned about the potential closure of King George Public School. Additional information about the rally can be found on the website.

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