Vote to close Whitbourne Elementary quashed by judge

After taking the issue all the wayto court, parents ofWhitbourne Elementary students have wontheir case against the Newfoundland and Labrador English School Districtto keep the school open.

• Whitbourne Elementary parents fighting school closure in court
• 5 schools closed by English School District

Parents have been fighting an NLESDdecision since April, when trustees voted to close Whitbourne Elementary along with five other schools in the province.

On Friday, JusticeValerie Marshall agreed with the argument that parents did not have enough time or information to prepare for the vote.

Worthwhile fight

When the decision was made in court, parents celebrated with hugs and tears of joy.

"I think we finally got a process that works for the people," saidWade Smith, chair of the Committee to Save Whitbourne Elementary.

Smith, whohasa grandson at the school, told CBC after the decision that parents did the right thing by pushing the matter all the way to the Supreme Court.

"It was worth every minute, every minute of fighting. Every minute of gathering material. It was a great effort by everybody involved," he said.

"I think what we need now is to go back and look at the flawed process in this province. Look at the other provincesand the way they do school reviews."

Parents in Whitbourne were so pleased with the news, they held a motorcade through the community Friday afternoon.