Spring Park school will not reopen in September

Spring Park Elementary School in Charlottetown will not reopen in September, says Prince Edward Island's deputy minister of education.

At a meeting with hundreds of members of the Spring Park Home and School Association on Wednesday evening, Sandy MacDonald said the mould-infested school will not reopen this year.

Instead, he presented the association with five options to consider.

The first is a renovation of the school, which would include the building's ventilation system. The second option is a renovation to the school with additions, such as a gymnasium and a computer lab.

The third option would be to take an existing school plan such as the ones used for West Royalty Elementary School and Stratford Elementary School and build a new school using those plans. Such a school could open in September 2012, said MacDonald.

The final options include designing a new school that is the same size as the existing Spring Park Elementary School, or designing and building a larger one. In either case, a new school would not be ready until September 2013.

"We need to know from you people what you would like us to do," MacDonald told parents gathered at Wednesday's meeting.

Despite the five options he presented, the deputy minister also said there were no guarantees for a new school because there is no money for one in the capital budget.

He said the department intends to make a decision by the end of June on whether it can scrape together enough money to rectify the situation.

Spring Park Elementary School was closed in January after mould and air quality concerns were raised. There were health complaints from staff and students and teachers had complained of headaches, sinus infections, coughs and eye, nose and throat irritations.

The school's 410 students were spread among four schools around Charlottetown.

Ricky Hood, the superintendent of the Eastern School District, was also at the meeting on Wednesday. He said the district will have to look at new options for housing the Spring Park Elementary School students because there will not be enough room at all the schools where they are being accommodated this year.

Kindergarten students have been going to West Kent Elementary School and French immersion students from Grades 1 to 3 have been attending St. Jean Elementary School. English students from Grades 1 to 3 have been going to Parkdale Elementary School and students in Grades 4 to 6 have been attending Birchwood Intermediate School.