Some St. Cyril parents are considering an appeal in response to the Toronto District Catholic School Board’s recent decision to close their school.
The announcement came at the end of a two-year accommodation review that assessed a cluster of schools in the Willowdale area. St. Cyril Catholic School is slated to close in 2013 and merge with students a few blocks away at the St. Antoine Daniel Catholic School site, which will either be expanded or get a new building.
Catia Creatura-Amelio, a St. Cyril parent who opposed the decision, said that no alternative was presented and that the process has left concerns unanswered.
“We’re extremely frustrated because they’re unwilling to make a commitment to the students in our school,” she said. Maria Rizzo, the ward’s trustee, said she is almost positive that these students will get a new building at St. Antoine Daniel. “It is by far a better school site for all the children,” she said. Creatura-Amelio said she thinks the value of her school’s land, estimated at being worth more than $14 million, was a motivating factor in the decision.
The St. Cyril advisory committee plans to meet with the broader parent community to determine the next step, she said. Parents can appeal the process to the Ministry of Education, but they can’t appeal the decision itself. “I believe that some within the St. Cyril community are not happy with the result, but I would say they are still a very divided community,” said Rizzo. Parents will be consulted on plans for the new schools as they move forward, she said.