Devon Middle School in Fredericton in desperate need of repairs: parents

Fredericton parents speak out about aging school A group of parents in Fredericton say Devon Middle School is overcrowded and in a state of disrepair.

According to some parents, Devon Middle School in Fredericton is in disrepair.

They're wondering why they're not on the province's list for a new school, just a mid-life upgrade.

“Devon is an aging school, it's over 70-years-old,” said Laura Oldford, a parent and member of the schools Parent School Support Committee.

“We're just dealing with really old infrastructure and so it just seems like there's always something that's breaking,” Oldford said.

“And, because there's asbestos in the school it means fixing anything is complicated, expensive, and time consuming,” she said.

This week, they have more problems.

"The bathrooms are now broken and it is due to the aging infrastructure,” Oldford said.

“They had to add a portable trailer of bathrooms so that they can fix the problem, and in doing that they're also adding a supply teacher to supervise that because it's outside the school,” she said.

The school district says this is a stopgap measure until the plumbing is repaired, estimated to be by the end of this week.

With more than 600 students and over 60 staff the school is overcrowded.

“They've unfortunately had to utilize a lot of their spaces for classroom space,” said Aneas MacInnis, who is a parent of two at the school, and with the Parent School Support Committee.

“What used to be a cafeteria, library, staff rooms, these are all now classroom space,” MacInnis said.

Fredericton North MLA Jill Green says she's working with the school and district to make improvements.

I've been talking with the team over at education to try and get this school prioritized,” Green said.

“I understand there's competing interests around the province but I will continue to advocate for this school to be replaced,” Green added.

Parents say the community at Devon Middle school is like no other, and they're grateful for that, but they say students and staff deserve better.

"Despite the aging infrastructure and overcrowding and all the logistical problems the team, the administration, the staff, the faculty are excellent,” MacInnis said.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development sent a statement saying they are aware of the situation at Devon, and say the school district is responsible for management of the school, as well as identifying and prioritizing facility requirements.

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