New rules governing student enrolment are creating concerns for some rural parents as the dust settles following a restructuring of the Kamloops-Thompson School District.

Westwold elementary parent Tracey Benedict said Tuesday the school district’s decision to make her school K to 5 means she will have three children in three different schools by September.

Although she’s pleased Westwold will remain open, the school district’s decision to strictly enforce catchment rules has her worried, she said.

Benedict’s oldest daughter attends Valleyview secondary. Her 11-year-old will attend R.L. Clemitson elementary in Barnhartvale this fall with other Grades 6 and 7 Westwold students. The youngest stays in Westwold.

She would prefer her middle child enrol at Dallas or Marion Schilling elementary and ride the same bus as her oldest daughter, she said. R.L. Clemitson students take a different route.

“My two daughters would have to take two different buses,” said Benedict.

She is allowed to request a transfer to Dallas or Marion Schilling, but that doesn’t mean her child will be guaranteed a seat. Even if her daughter is accepted, she is not promised a spot on the bus,” said Benedict.

“Parents will have to provide their own transportation,” she said. For her, that means a 45-minute drive each way.

Similar worries are surfacing at Heffley Creek elementary. The school will house K to 4 in September, with Grades 5 to 7 bused to Rayleigh elementary.

Sam Nicol said parents with a child in Grade 5 and another in Grade 1 wonder if both children would be allowed to attend Rayleigh this fall.

“Some families want to keep their children together,” she said.

Last fall, rural parents were told significant changes would be made to community schools to keep them open. School district assistant superintendent of elementary education Karl de Bruijn said people are starting to realize the magnitude of those changes.

He said new catchment rules treat everyone the same. Students living within the neighbourhood are guaranteed a spot at a school. Anyone else can enrol if space is available.

The same applies for children taking a bus to a school outside the catchment area. If there is a seat available, then the student is welcome. If not, it’s up to the parent to provide transportation, said de Bruijn.