Boundary frustration for Kitchener family living behind Doon Public School

Testimony continued Tuesday at the second-degree murder trial of Jaspal Singh Sidhu, the man accused of fatally stabbing his father. Ashley Bacon reports.

A mother in the south-end of Kitchener is raising concerns about the boundary change for students in the area.

The Waterloo Region District School Board changed the boundaries to make way for a new school on Thomas Slee Drive, but the change doesn’t make sense to some on the borders of the new boundary.

Ashley Caesar moved into a home on Whisperwood Court this summer.

“That’s Doon Public school directly in our backyard. We have a gate with access to the school property. It would be ideal if my son was able to attend the school starting in September for Grade 7,” Caesar said.

The Caesars were under the impression their son, Colton, would attend Doon when he enters Grade 7 next year, but the new boundary is forcing him to attend the new school in September.

“When you live in such close proximity to a school, your goal is for your children to go to that school. They can walk to that school. It’s kind of a trade off for putting up with noise and car pollution, Caesar said.

“It’s not just my family, but other families that will be affected by the boundary review. My goal is to just have people understand. I know that they can’t make everyone happy, but I want them to make it make sense,” Caesar added.

Colton currently attends Brigadoon Public School and Ashley said this boundary change means next year he won’t be with his friends.

“They will be going to [Doon Public School] and he will be sent to a school up the road,” Caesar said.

The new school Colton is meant to attend come September is just a four-minute drive from his home, but his mom is expecting the bus ride to take a little bit longer.

“25 to 30 minutes is my guess. We’ll probably be the first stop picked up in the morning and he’ll probably be the last to be dropped off at the end of the day,” Caesar said.

Caesar said she was aware of the potential of a boundary change when they moved in, but was told her street wasn’t affected.

“We never thought in a million years that our proximity would be affected. We’ve also been assured by other people in the board that our street was overlooked,” Caesar said.

The school board said communication about the boundary change started in April 2024 and two public meetings were held.

“We know that for some, the outcome of the Boundary Review may not align with their expectations, and we encourage those families to reach out to their school’s principal or the Planning Department for more information about their available options,” Lauren Agar, Senior Manager of Planning, WRDSB said in an email to CTV News on Tuesday.

Caesar said she will probably end up driving her son to the new school instead of using the bus, but is also exploring other options like applying for a boundary exemption or even considering another school system.

“So maybe if I’m going to be driving them anyways, why not look at a private school?” Caesar said.