Students stage protest against changes to Ottawa’s Adult High School

The Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is proposing to update its program at the Adult High School, and students are worried it could compress classes and result in the loss of their beloved teachers.

On Tuesday, a group of students gathered outside the school to stage a protest against the proposed changes for students over the age of 21, which would see a shift from a semester system to a nine-week “quadmester” with multiple start dates.

The move is in line with the provincial Continuing Education standards, a spokesperson for the OCDSB said in an email to CityNews.

“Classes will continue fully in-person, and all essential student support services will remain in place,” it reads. “As part of the transition, a small number of teachers will be relocating to other secondary schools within the district.”

This came as a shock to students who worry the switch to quadmesters will limit access to education and harm vulnerable learners at the school.

“The students over 21 coming after me will face shortened semesters, limited resources and because this displacement is quite substantial,” Fatima-Zahra Kajji, a student organizer, said. “They won’t even have access to the same wonderful teachers that have been like glowing candles keeping us all warm and nourishing us.”

OCDSB says that the teachers moved from the school will be replaced by other “qualified teachers” who will help support classrooms across the district.

“We are working with union leadership to ensure a fair and supported transition for all affected staff,” the OCDSB statement reads.

The high school is for people who need to get more credits, learn English as a second language and provides valuable learning resources to new Canadians.

Jordan Peel, who participated in the protest, said the school and its teachers are incredibly important to her.

“Without coming to this school, I would probably still be on the streets,” she said. “It gives me motivation every day to wake up and come get my education right.”

One of the main concerns students have is how the semesters are changing. Instead of the traditional 18 to 20 weeks, semesters will last around nine weeks. The board is aiming to reduce the hundreds of people on the waitlist for the school with the semester changes.

“You could do it fast or you could do it right, and that goes for education,” Shane Delcourt, a student, said of the changes. “Having that time and space to learn and properly understand and master these things is incredibly important.”

Kajji worries this change will “set a precedent” for more alterations, possibly impacting more students at the school.

If amended, the changes are set to come into effect in September 2026.