2010 decision raises hackles - Parents of elementary, high school students say many issues unresolved
Whistler and Pemberton Question
By Jennifer Miller
Nov 23, 2007

Local parents are calling the scaled-back Olympic school closures of only one week for Whistler elementary schools a compromise — though questions about child care availability remain — but expressed ongoing concerns this week about the approved 3-week closure for Whistler Secondary School (WSS) ….

“It’s a very long time for high school students to be out,” she said. “For parents like me who will have one (child) in each (elementary and high school) it causes some challenges.”…

Despite what McKibbin called a “compromise” from the board that elementary schools in Whistler will only close for one week instead of the originally proposed two-week closure, moving spring break to Games time is still expected to pose challenges for working parents.

“Trying to take time off then will be just impossible to get,” said Simon Wong, Squamish Elementary School Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) chair.

He said many of the youngsters would spend the week in daycare rather than an Olympic venue as their parents deal with unprecedented demands in workplaces throughout the Sea to Sky corridor. For those who can’t get the week off, he predicted a chain reaction of problems

“They don’t have the daycare facilities to accommodate that many people,” said Wong, noting he would have preferred the school calendar to stay the same. For parents lucky enough to secure their child a spot in daycare, he described transportation as the next hurdle. Wong said traffic between Whistler and Vancouver will be extremely congested during the Games, and that adding another stop such as daycare could make the morning commute unbearable.

“If they work in Whistler, how are they expected to get their kids to daycare and get to work in time?”

He said PAC members are waiting on the Howe Sound board to address these unanswered questions….

Jewett said her understanding is that the school board will help to find adequate child-care solutions and may revisit the 2010 calendar decision if child-care issues can’t be resolved.