Homogenous French Education on Isle Madame Sept. 18

The Department of Education and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) are making arrangements to have francophone students in Richmond County attend École Isle Madame in Arichat starting Monday, Sept.18.

An understanding on the issue was reached on Thursday, Sept. 7, as a means of implementing a recent Supreme Court decision requiring homogenous French education to be available on Isle Madame by September 2000. The CSAP board is expected to meet on the matter Monday, Sept. 11.

"I am pleased that we are able to agree on a plan to make homogeneous French education available immediately on Isle Madame," Education Minister Jane Purves said Thursday.

The plan responds to a disagreement over where francophone students should attend school this fall on Isle Madame.

Cabinet decided in mid-August to make the Isle Madame school available for September to provide for homogenous French programming for primary to grade 12 francophone students on Isle Madame, as per the June ruling of Supreme Court Justice Arthur LeBlanc.

With a complement of quality schools in place in the district, including two good elementary schools for English students, it was also decided that a new school previously planned for Petit-de-Grat would no longer be needed.

The plan now means that students who started at Petit-de-Grat school this week will remain there until École Isle Madame is ready on Sept. 18. In the meantime, École Isle Madame will be cleaned and prepared.

The Strait Regional School Board will have Felix Marchand and Walter Fougere schools ready for Primary to Grade 8 students to attend on Monday, Sept. 11.

Ms. Purves said despite the confusion, she feels the current plan is the very best decision in the long run.

"We appreciate that it's been difficult for the community to deal with some last minute arrangements, but are pleased to see that everything is working out."