It’s time for a verdict.
There’s one major decision that SD 57 trustees will have to make tonight (Tuesday) at their monthly meeting, and that is what to name the new Kelly Road Secondary School scheduled to open in September.
The topic has created much debate.
In a recent survey of over 2,700 people, 68 per-cent of the respondents want the Kelly Road name to carry over to the new school while 30 per-cent would like to see Shas Ti in some form.
However, an overwhelming majority of respondents (85.5%) believe that both histories/stories of Kelly Road Secondary School and Shas Ti can, and should both be acknowledged together in the spirit of reconciliation.
Last week, the school board noted some concerns about abusive language, personal attacks, and other inappropriate responses that were expressed, with some responses being discredited due to not following the rules presented alongside the questionnaire.
“As a board, we would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the questionnaire,” said SD57 Chair Tim Bennett.
The whole issue took flight in February when a motion was carried to “engage in the process of a new name” and the board of education is committed to doing so before the school opens in September.
That was followed by a petition to keep the school’s name as is, which has reached 11,500 signatures.
This also led to Kelly Road Students rallying outside the school protesting the possible name change.
The meeting will be done online via Zoom starting at 6 pm.
– with files from Justin Madu, MyPGNow.com staff