Cowichan Secondary School, one school in two locations, is being changed back into two separately run schools, as of the 2018-19 academic year.
At present, some students travel between the main James Street campus and the smaller Quamichan campus — about 750 metres apart. The Quamichan site was previously a middle school and all high-school activity was on James Street.
There will now be a Grade 8-9 school at Quamichan and a Grade 10-12 school on James Street, with no overlap for students. Quamichan is due to add to its capacity with three modular classrooms coming over spring break.
The James Street and Quamichan sites became one school with two campuses in 2013 at a time of reconfiguration in the Cowichan Valley school district.
The district sought public feedback last month about the possibility of making the change after some in the school community raised concerns about the current configuration. From that, the Cowichan Valley school board decided that student safety was the prime concern and voted to adopt the two-school arrangement.
“We also recognized that there were additional benefits to ending the dual-campus model operationally, professionally and for student learning,” said board chairwoman Candace Spilsbury. “The two schools will now be able to schedule learning in a way that better meets the unique learning needs of each student population.
“It also means strengthened connections between staff and students, which is particularly important for our vulnerable learners.”
There were parents on both sides of the issue, Spilsbury said, but it was decided that altering the setup would be the best choice.
Many people worked hard to make the dual campus work, she said. “We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively in support of student learning as we now transition to the new model.”
