Sudbury mom fighting for her children to attend school in-person
A parent in Sudbury is frustrated with the Rainbow District School Board after trying to switch her children from virtual to in-class learning.
Robyn Rowe was told by the board she needed to decide by early March. At the time, COVID-19 numbers were still very high, so she chose virtual learning.
One daughter is heading into Grade 10 in September and the other will be heading into Grade 6, both in the Rainbow District School Board.
After two years of learning from home, Rowe is eager to have them resume classes in person. However, she said her efforts to get them back into the classroom have been frustrating.
Board officials said the best they can do is put her daughters' names on a waitlist in August.
"We want to put them back to school and we’re being denied," she said.
"I think that’s absolutely ridiculous because if I moved across this city, any one of the schools that we live near, they would have no problem taking us. So why can’t we move from virtual learning to in-class for the betterment of my kids?"
Want more northern Ontario news? Download the free CTV News app.
Rowe said it’s in the best interest of her kids that they go back to school and learn in a social setting. She said the risk of COVID-19 is no longer as big a worry as having her daughters continue to learn in isolation.
"We’ve realized now that their social, emotional, physical well-being, just in general, those burdens that they’re facing really outweigh the risk,” she said.
Despite repeated attempts, however, she's said she's getting nowhere.
"I’ve spoken to some administrators -- really some unremorseful, un-empathetic people who are like, 'this is the way it is,'" Rowe said.
"So, Grade 10 and Grade 6, they have no choice according to what I’m getting feedback on."
When asked for comment, the Rainbow District School Board gave CTV News this statement:
"Parents/guardians were invited to complete a survey to register their children for the virtual school for the 2022-2023 school year. The virtual school was staffed based on the choices parents made. Any request for change, due to extenuating circumstances, will be considered when we revisit staffing based on enrolment prior to the start of the school year."
Rowe said if nothing changes, she might switch school boards for the sake of her children.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'