New catchment boundaries have been set in preparation for the 2021 opening of South Surrey’s new high school.
The plan, according to a news release issued Thursday by the assistant superintendent Lynda Reeve, redistributes students in South Surrey and White Rock among the three existing high schools – Semiahmoo, Earl Marriott and Elgin Park – and the new Grandview Heights Secondary.
It was presented to the Board of Education on Wednesday.
Effective September 2020, Semiahmoo Trail Elementary school will feed into Elgin; and White Rock Elementary students, currently split between EMS and Semi, are to feed into Semi.
The release does not note a change that was shared with parents of Pacific Heights Elementary earlier this month, when district officials announced a two-year shift affecting Grade 6 and 7 students of the 17148 26 Ave. school.
Effective this coming September, those students will feed into Elgin instead of EMS, to mitigate overcrowding at EMS.
READ MORE: Two-year feeder-school change irks South Surrey parents
Thursday’s release notes the latest boundary changes were determined following a series of public meetings, online forums and invited input on four possible options.
More than 1,200 parents, students and staff responded, it adds.
“While conflicting community desires were identified in the community engagement process, Option 2B emerged as the overall preferred approach,” the release states.
That option names feeder schools for the new Grandview Heights Secondary as East Kensington, Morgan, Pacific Heights, Rosemary Heights, Sunnyside and the to-be-built Edgewood Drive.
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In addition to boundary changes for White Rock and Semiahmoo Trail elementaries, was a decision to phase Jessie Lee students to EMS.
Additional points made Thursday include that existing Semi and EMS students are grandfathered; the sibling rule will apply; EMS and Semi will continue to be closed to new in-catchment students until 2021; and Intensive Fine Arts students from White Rock Elementary will be given the option to transition to EMS until the regular cross-boundary process is restored in 2021.
