Elbow Park School closed for up to two years

The Calgary Board of Education says that students who go to Elbow Park School will need to be taught elsewhere for up to two years.

Officials made the announcement at a public meeting on Tuesday night.

They said that insurers have found that the building is showing signs of collapse and is now structurally unsafe.

The building has been closed permanently and temporary shoring has been installed to allow safe access to designated workers.

Those workers will be removing school equipment and contents after it has been safely secured.

Students at that school will be housed at an alternative location while a final decision on what to do with the building is made.

12 modular classrooms have been supplied to the CBE and officials say they will be set up at Earl Grey School.

It is not yet known whether the school can be repaired or if it will have to be demolished and rebuilt.

There is good news, however, for the students of Rideau Park School.

The CBE says that repairs are well underway and on schedule to be completed so the school may be open to students for this coming school year.

If the school isn’t ready for September, the CBE has discussed options for delaying the start of the school year.

The lost time could either be made up throughout the year or the CBE may discuss alternatives with Alberta Education that could include waiving the instructional hours.

The CBE encourages interested parties to continue to send feedback and questions in through their online feedback form, or by email to [e-mail] or [e-mail].

The CBE will hold another meeting on August 20 to provide updates on both schools.