The Alberta government is spending more than $3 million on the relocation of the Louise Dean Centre (LDC) to Jack James High School in Calgary to better support teen mothers..“Louise Dean School students should be able to pursue their education with compassion and care,” said Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange in a Wednesday press release..“This new location will allow them the privacy they need to care for themselves and families while also completing their studies and setting themselves up for future success.”.The LDC offers a specialized Grade 9 to 12 program for teen mothers to support their education and health while offering assistance to their children..Calgary Board of Education (CBE) trustees unanimously agreed in September to gather public input as they look into closing and relocating LDC from its inner city location to a regular high school in Forest Lawn, despite strong opposition from students and staff..CBE officials said as enrollment drops and rates of teen pregnancies decline in Canada, the program might have to close at the existing site..“The concerns and questions of staff and students are important, but I don’t see any challenges that are so insurmountable that they cannot be addressed by collaborative, creative, and solution-focused thinking by the professional staff of both of these schools,” said CBE trustee Marilyn Dennis..The release said key building modifications at Jack James will include a separate entrance for the LDC and card access controls on interior doors to ensure students continue to feel safe. It said students will have a separate childcare space, more transit options and decreased average travel times, dedicated parking, and continued and expanded health services and programming..Alberta Education has provided $35,000 in additional annual transportation funding starting in the 2022-2023 school year to cover costs for LDC students..“On behalf of the Calgary Board of Education, I would like to thank Alberta Education for the support of and contribution towards the renovation of Jack James High School,” said CBE Chair Laura Hack..“This investment will contribute to the necessary adjustments needed to welcome students from the Louise Dean School in the 2024-2025 school year.” .Hack said students from Jack James and the LDC will “benefit from access to a wider range of supports and learning opportunities.”.Alberta status of women parliamentary secretary Tanya Fir went on to say the LDC “provides resources and supports to help parenting teens succeed in their academics while also ensuring access to in-house childcare and health services.” .“Ensuring all students in Alberta have barrier-free access to education is a priority for our government,” said Fir..The Alberta Parents’ Union (APU) said no to the CBE’s proposal to relocate the LDC to Jack James in November after a stabbing at the school..READ MORE: Alberta Parents' Union says no to moving unwed teen moms to Jack James High School in Calgary.“They've said it is safe, that no one can enter the school who shouldn't,” said APU Executive Director Jeff Park..“The stabbing proved that is not true.”
