Chelmsford high school students stage walkout over possible school closure

Morning North2:40Students at Chelmsford Valley District Composite School walk out of class

Students at Chelmsford Valley District Composite School don't want their school to be closed. It's on a list of potential school closures by the Rainbow District School Board. We heard from one of the students taking part in a class walkout.

Students at Chelmsford Valley District Composite School walked out of class this morning to protest the proposed consolidation of their school.

In September, the Rainbow District School Board issued aproposal to helpmake up for a $3.6 million shortfall and to adjust to declining enrolment.

It would seeCVDCSabsorbed into Confederation Secondary School in ValCaron.

Protest organizers are expecting a strong turnout from the student body.

"We're expectingall of our school, really, so around 300 students," said Kendra Brenton-Levesque, a member of the school's student council.

"We have a tonne of signs. They say lots of stuff, like 'Local schools matter,' like, 'Honk for support', 'Save Our Schools', 'Save Chelmsford'," she said.

If the board's proposal moves forward, students from Chelmsford will bus into Val Caron, and the CVDCS school will be re-purposed as an elementary school.

Last week, students at Lively High also walked out in protest. That school could be broken up and absorbed intoWalden Public School,Lockerby Composite School andSudbury Secondary School.

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