Three sections of Montreal’s École communautaire Belz that were ordered closed by the Quebec government last week have had their operating licences and government funding reinstated, a source close to the matter, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly, told The Montreal Jewish News.
The source cautioned that the reinstatement may be temporary and/or subject to conditions. MJN has not obtained a copy of the decision or any agreement between the school and the government, and no further information about the terms was available at the time of publication.
It is also unclear whether the Ministry of Education reversed its original decision, whether the Tribunal administratif du Québec granted Belz a temporary suspension of the closure order, or whether another interim arrangement was reached to allow the schools to operate while the case continues.
The development would clear the way for 582 boys to return to their schools when classes resume at the end of August. The government’s original decision removed the English and French sections at the Durocher campus, as well as the boys’ secondary section on Hillsdale, from the school’s permit.
The decision was dated June 30 but only became public last week through documents filed with the Tribunal administratif du Québec. The Ministry cited concerns involving teacher qualifications, instructional time, the Quebec curriculum and conditions inside the buildings.
Belz challenged the decision and asked the tribunal to suspend it while the case was being heard. The school argued that an immediate closure would cause serious and irreparable harm to hundreds of students and their families, particularly with the beginning of the school year only weeks away.
The school also disputed several of the Ministry’s findings. Belz maintained that most teachers were either legally qualified or working under government-issued tolerances and said that problems identified inside the buildings had either been corrected or were in the process of being addressed.
Three other Belz sections serving girls were permitted to remain open under the original decision, although the Ministry ordered the school to correct several deficiencies by November 1.
The reinstatement of the licences and funding appears to resolve the immediate question of whether the affected boys will have a school to attend at the end of the month. It does not necessarily resolve the underlying dispute between Belz and the Ministry.
MJN will update this story when the terms of the reinstatement or a formal decision become available.
Leave a Reply