Harrow High School To Close In June, Western To Stay Open

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Harrow High School will close in June, but Western will stay open.

The decision was made after a  special board meeting was held Tuesday evening at the St. Clair College SportsPlex.

Hundreds of students, parents and teachers fill the large gymnasium as 8 delegates and 11 speakers each made their case to trustees why their school should remain open.

Steve Forsey pastor at Harrow Baptist Church said that many families in the town are planning on changing school boards if Harrow High closes.

One Western student told the board that she was loner before attending the school, and she is now more social.

After three hours of hearing comments and concerns from the community, trustees debated the two closures in separate parts with Harrow up first.

Trustee Burgess tried to refer the matter of closing Harrow to the Policy Committee, but that motion failed.  Burgess said that if they vote to close the school, then trustees are not listening to the community.

In the end, the vote was 5-4 to close the school in June.  Trustees Kilpatrick, Lovell, Sartori, Halberstadt, and Buckler all voted for the closure.

The board then moved onto the recommended closing of Western.  Several trustees spoke out with concerns about the special programming the school offers, and had concerns that this programming could not be offered in other schools.

When it came time to vote, all trustees voted to keep Western secondary School open.