OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to an article regarding new bell times coming to area schools, published April 19.
My daughter attends Coldwater Public School and they are changing their bell times for the 2023-24 school year from 8:45 a.m. and 3:05 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:50 p.m.
This news came as quite the shock, and during brief conversations with other parents over the last week, many of the parents are concerned with the new hours for a number of reasons.
My daughter currently gets off the bus at 3:45 p.m. With the new bell times, I anticipate her getting off next year around 4:30 p.m., and she is not the last stop. For a large portion of the winter, elementary students will be getting off the bus in the dark. In the rural settings, the bus does not stop at every driveway and many are required to walk down the side of the road where there are no sidewalks and no street lights. This is putting our children in danger.
The letter sent out said the new time changes were to “create efficiencies and cost savings,” but shouldn’t the safety of our children be the priority?
Furthermore, the Village of Coldwater offers very limited extracurricular activities, so families are required to drive into Orillia, Midland or surrounding areas for all activities. Many of these activities start at 5 p.m. With the more than 20-minute drive required to get to these locations, it is almost impossible to get your child off the bus, load them in the car immediately, and get to their activities on time, let alone have time to eat dinner, spend limited time as a family, and get ready for bed.
The daycare and before/after-school care in the Coldwater area is incredibly limited. This drastic change in times will now require an increase in before-school care where there simply are not spots available. This will require more children to go into non-licensed care, which comes at a greater financial burden to the family.
I reached out to the principal, Mrs. Cox, at Coldwater Public School, the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC), and Mr. Webbe, the superintendent for our area with the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB).
Mrs. Cox’s response was that the school itself has “absolutely nothing to do with the time change” and that they “support what SCDSB endeavours as best for student transportation in the coming year.”
The transportation consortium stated, “Coldwater P.S.’s bell times for the 2023-24 school year have been processed and approved through established Simcoe County District School Board procedures. The SCSTC does not have any authority to alter or change the arrangements that have been approved by the board.”
Mr. Webbe has not responded.
The safety and well-being of our children should always be the No. 1 priority. The transportation consortium and the school board did not have our children’s best interests in mind when they approved this decision.
I strongly urge the Simcoe County District School Board and the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium to re-evaluate the time changes proposed for Coldwater Public School.
Alex Klett
Severn Township
