BILL NO. 63

(as passed)

1st Session, 62nd General Assembly
Nova Scotia
63 Elizabeth II, 2014

Government Bill

Education Act
(amended)

CHAPTER 13 OF THE ACTS OF 2014

The Honourable Karen Casey
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

First Reading: April 23, 2014 (LINK TO BILL AS INTRODUCED)

Second Reading: April 24, 2014

Third Reading: May 1, 2014

Royal Assent: May 1, 2014

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 Subsection 64(2) of Chapter 1 of the Acts of 1995-96, the Education Act, as amended by Chapter 5 of the Acts of 2002, Chapter 16 of the Acts of 2005, Chapter 54 of the Acts of 2008 and Chapters 14 and 50 of the Acts of 2012, is further amended by adding immediately after clause (v) the following clause:

(va) develop, by such time and in such manner and form as is required by the Minister, a comprehensive long-term plan respecting its public schools and the delivery of its education programs and services;

89 (1) The Minister shall develop and adopt a school review policy that sets out the processes to be followed by a school board for considering or implementing a decision to permanently close a public school, which policy must include

(a) the circumstances that may lead to a review of schools for permanent closure;

(b) the establishment and composition of school review committees;

(c) the information that school boards are to provide to school review committees and to the public;

(d) the support that school boards are to provide to school review committees;

(e) the subject-matter that school boards are to include in the terms of reference of school review committees;

(f) the process that school boards and school review committees are to follow after a school review is initiated by a school board, including requirements for notices and public meetings to consult with respect to the options available to the school board;

(g) time lines that are to be followed in a school review process; and

(h) transitional plans that are to be implemented by school boards following a decision to permanently close a public school.

(2) Subject to the regulations, a school board may not permanently close a school except in accordance with the school review policy adopted by the Minister.

89A A public school is deemed to be permanently closed if

(a) all of the school buildings have been vacant for at least one school year prior to the coming into force of this Section;

(b) the buildings are not being renovated; and

(c) no students are attending the school.

3 Clauses 145(1)(m), (n), (o) and (oa) of Chapter 1 are repealed and the following clause substituted:

(m) respecting the circumstances under which a school board may permanently close a school without following the school review policy adopted by the Minister pursuant to Section 89;

4 This Act, except Section 1, comes into force on such day as the Governor in Council orders and declares by proclamation.