Police called to EMSB meeting after frustrations boil over

Tensions between parents and the English Montreal School Board hit a new high Thursday night, when police were called after the board unveiled its latest proposal to help an overcrowded French school board.

The EMSB had announced it is adding more schools to its offer of cohabitation to Quebec's education minister, who more than a week ago said he would be moving through with the transfer of three English schools to theCommission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'le(CSPI).

The EMSBhas drafted a list of schools it could share with CSPI. It also announced it would launch a six-month public consultation Wednesday to determinewhich of its schools it is ultimately willing to give up.

But some parents were not impressed, frustrated the board is sticking with the cohabitation offer, even thoughCSPIhas said it is not interested.

"It's like they're offering everything in the kitchen sink, knowing the other party can't use it," said Jason Trudeau, whose children attend General Vanier Elementary School in Saint-Leonard.

Some parents had booed, others yelled and swore. About a dozen parents were stillat the meeting when police arrived. No one was arrested.

It was the latest sign of parents' dissatisfaction with how the EMSB has handledthe minister's plan to transfer three schools.

With this school year done, many still don't know where their children will go in the fall.

Education MinisterJean-Franois Robergehad given the EMSB until June 11 to come up with another solution to help with overcrowding.

• Quebec education minister defends decision to begin transfer of EMSB schools to French board

That day, he would be asking for cabinet approval for the transfer ofGeneral Vanier Elementary School, Gerald McShane Elementary School and John Paul Junior High School, and that should take less than two weeks.

Trudeau said it was obvious the EMSB's second cohabitation offer, tabled at the meeting, was "posturing for their legal case."

Some EMSB commissioners have raised the possibility of legal action to block a forcible transfer.

Trudeau said he felt commissioners were overlooking other options, including making an evaluation of its whole network not just schools in northern Montreal.

The EMSB says cohabitation, if accepted, would only last a year.