Continued delays at Maplewood Secondary School forcing students to learn on their own

The opening of Maplewood Secondary School in Stittsville has been delayed again, leaving students without proper resources at home.

In an update shared to families late Tuesday afteroon, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) said there is no timeline for when the school will open.

Maplewood Secondary School was scheduled to welcome students right after Labour Day, but construction delays have pushed the opening back twice. On Sept. 6, families were told the school should be open by Sept. 17, but on Monday afternoon, they were told the school still couldn't open.

Students like Ruby O'Malley, meanwhile, are left in limbo.

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"It's disappointing because we don't know when we're going to be able to go," the Grade 7 student said.

Grade 7 and 8 students were sent to a nearby school but began learning at home Friday, so teachers could prepare their classrooms at Maplewood. With another delay, these students, along with the Grade 9 students, are stuck at home learning online.

"Well, the understanding was that they were closing D.A. Moodie School, in order to pack up and send the equipment to the new school," said Sandra Cooper, Ruby's grandmother. "Now, why they did that before they knew the new school was opening is beyond me. I think it's unreasonable. It's extremely frustrating."

However, unlike the Grade 9 students, the Grade 7 and 8 students don't have laptops to engage in what the board is calling "asynchronous learning," meaning learning independently without direct teacher instruction.

"Once I finish all the paper, there's nothing else to do," said Ruby. "Which is kind of hard because I'm just sitting at home all day."

The school board now says students will be learning from home for at least the rest of this week, with details being provided about device pickups for students who require them.

Michelle Jean, Ruby's mother, said her daughter first had paperwork to do but no direction or assistance. "She does need a teacher's help to learn these new concepts. I'm not available during the day to help her. I'm working full-time."

Grade 9 students were given Chromebooks, but still face challenges learning on their own.

"It's kind of hard to work with it since you don't have people explaining what to do," said Grade 9 student Karly Wildman.

Parents are frustrated with what they say is a lack of communication.

"It's always on short notice," said Karly's mom, Ingrid. "We get told at five in the evening that your kid's not going to go to school tomorrow."

The City of Ottawa says the building has not yet met safety criteria and lacks working fire alarms, sprinklers, and emergency lighting.

"You know, if you buy a new house, you don't rent the moving van before you have the keys to the house," said Cooper. "And this is exactly what the school has done."

School board blames contractor for delays

The school board says it shares in the frustration families are feeling about the ongoing issues with Maplewood Secondary School and a public meeting will be held Wednesday to discuss the issue.

"We understand that these delays have been frustrating and would like to provide an opportunity for the community to meet with us and discuss the details. Please join us from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, September 18th, at Shingwakons Public School (480 Cope Dr, Stittsville) where I will be present along with other senior OCDSB staff to help answer any questions. This is a walk-in event and no prior registration is required," a note from Superintendent of Education AJ Keene said.

Keene blamed the contractor, Tambro Construction, for the ongoing delays.

"OCDSB staff continue to be onsite on a daily basis, and have been since early August. The General Contractor, Tambro Construction, provided the OCDSB with an occupancy schedule on May 21, 2024. Despite concerns raised by OCDSB staff, Tambro Construction was insistent until inspection day, August 30th, that it would meet the occupancy requirements," Keene wrote.

"After failing the August 30th inspection, and despite repeated requests, Tambro Construction has not provided the OCDSB with an updated occupancy schedule. The OCDSB is doing everything in its power to ensure that Tambro Construction completes the outstanding deficiencies without any further delay. The OCDSB remains reliant on Tambro Construction to take the appropriate actions to rectify these issues to gain occupancy."

He promised an update to families by Friday.

CTV News Ottawa reached out to Tambro Construction on Tuesday but has yet to hear back.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond