Waterloo's Elizabeth Ziegler Public School closed for the rest of the year

Cameron Mahler · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 12:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Waterloo's Elizabeth Ziegler Public School is closing down for the remainder of the twelvemonth aft an appraisal by a structural engineering steadfast said enactment to marque the gathering harmless capable for learning would instrumentality months to complete. 

The schoolhouse primitively unopen down connected March 4 after information concerns were raised astir the building's facade. The closure was extended twice, with students expected to spell backmost connected April 1. 

On Friday, Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) sent retired a merchandise announcing the afloat closure. 

"Based connected the existent appraisal by the structural engineering steadfast retained by the board, we are not capable to inhabit immoderate portion of the Elizabeth Ziegler PS building," the merchandise said. 

"Addressing these concerns volition instrumentality clip and the engineers estimation this enactment could instrumentality months to complete. This is simply a effect of the mechanical and electrical connections that tally passim the building, arsenic good arsenic the ample pieces of precast factual and monuments that request to beryllium cautiously removed during the repair process," the merchandise continued.

In the meantime, students and families are being asked to prime up a Chromebook oregon iPad astatine the schoolhouse connected Monday to assistance to proceed learning remotely.

The committee said it is adding further portables that person "already started arriving astatine the school, with much portables scheduled to get implicit the adjacent fewer days."

However, lone 12 portables are allowed connected the property, which volition not accommodate the much than 500 Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 students and the unit who be the school. 

"Alternative spaces that enactment the needs of students successful surrounding nationalist schools are constricted and a thorough readying process is on-going to accommodate each students in-person," the merchandise said.

The program remains to person students instrumentality to in-person learning connected April 1, but it's unclear wherever precisely they'll be. 

More accusation volition beryllium provided to students and parents connected Monday, including the locations of further sites for in-person learning.