November 21st, 2017

As many of you are now aware, there was a major fire at 105 Sheffield Street, Cambridge, which resulted in some heavy smoke in the Hespeler area.

As soon as we were aware of the fire, staff at the Education Centre contacted Cambridge Fire Department to find out if it was safe to let our students leave school. The Cambridge Fire Department issued a statement requesting that local schools enter into a shelter in place at 3:41 p.m. – some time after many of our school bell times in the area.

This was a challenging situation for our schools and the instruction to shelter in place affected some schools and extended day programs.

A shelter in place is initiated when there is a potential environmental risk in the area. In this case, the risk was the smoke from the fire, which was being carried with the changing winds. At the direction of the fire department, students were allowed to leave the school by car or by school bus during the shelter in place.

We understand that this situation may have caused you some inconvenience at the end of the day yesterday. We’re sorry for any confusion you may have experienced as teams from across our school district worked closely with the Cambridge Fire Department to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff. If you have any questions about this situation, please contact the school directly at 519-658-5187.