Westmount students to be sent to three schools; classes to remain closed Tuesday

“There are a number of factors [that led to the extra day off], everything from retrieving any equipment from the school – which is not possible right now – to transportation routes,” Interim SD73 Superintendent Mike McKay said. “We didn’t want to go in with a plan that wasn’t fully developed.”

“When we gathered this morning, it was clear that for us to get to the right place – so the kids and staff are safe and well accommodated – and they can get into a rhythm of learning and teaching, it would be Wednesday.”

Earlier Monday, Westmount Parent Advisory Council chair Jelena Hansen told CFJC they were hoping that the entire school community would have been able to stay together as a group.

“We’re really tight knit community and to separate us out will be devastating for the staff and for the children,” Jansen said. She also said she is grateful that the school building is still standing and that it is being fixed.

However, SD73 Board Chair Heather Grieve noted it was not possible to keep all Westmount students in one location, like what happened after the 2019 fire at the former Parkcrest Elementary.

“At that time, we did have the ability to move students from Four Directions into Happyvale and we were able to use George Hilliard, which was then vacant, to move the entire population of Parkcrest,” Grieve said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a school venue like that that would be able to take the numbers of students that we have at Westmount.”

“Doing things to keep grade configurations together and the supports in place will be something that staff took into account [while making this plan].”

Added McKay, “this is a staff deeply committed to doing what’s right for kids. They’ve worked tirelessly to make sure students feel supported as they transition to new schools.”

Westmount Elementary itself will be closed for the next several weeks as the school district works to determine the extent of the damage caused by the suspicious fire early Sunday (Oct. 26) morning.

“We have specialists coming in to do assessments of everything from air quality to material mitigation and the strategies that can be used,” McKay said. “We have to make sure that space is safe.”

“There are lots of assumptions that can be made by taking a quick look and saying, ‘it looks fine to me’ but none of that is worth anything at all. We have to rely on experts who do all of the necessary testing and that’s occurring over the next several days.”

SD73 Secretary-Treasurer, Harold Cull, said an insurance claims process has been started, and the [B.C. Schools Protection Program] has set up SD73 with an insurance adjuster. He also said it has identified a remedial company to help assess the damage and determine the extent of repairs that will be needed.

“We’ll work through that process as the information unfolds and we get more details on the extent of the damage,” Cull said.

Kamloops RCMP are asking people to review any surveillance video they may have of the area near Westmount Elementary between 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

“We know there was someone on the roof which is where the fire started,” Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dana Napier said. “We are actively investigating this fire as suspicious and we are working with Kamloops Fire Rescue to determine what happened.”

Police are asking potential witnesses to contact the Kamloops RCMP Detachment at 250-828-3000 and reference file 2025-35751.

by Victor Kaisar & Marty Hastings

Westmount students to be sent to three schools; classes to remain closed Tuesday

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