An East Gwillimbury private school has been forced to stop operating after the town deemed it had contravened several bylaws while operating on protected Greenbelt lands.
The municipality ordered Kindred Spirits Day School at 4122 Davis Dr., on Newmarket's border, to halt operations. The school is situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine and is zoned residential, not institutional. Schools are only permitted to operate on lands designated as institutional.
Two building code orders were issued on Sept. 13 and Sept. 12 while a fire code order was issued on Sept. 12.
The school, which touts a unique educational approach, catered to kindergarten to Grade 8 students, offering a blend of Reggio-Emilia-Waldorf and Montessori teaching philosophies, and project-based learning, with a strong emphasis on outdoor education for a holistic learning environment, according to its website.
Children were encouraged to express themselves and explore their interests, and staff fostered their personality development through a self-guided curriculum.
The town said that despite orders to cease operations, the school's owners continue to operate it. At repeated property inspections, town staff observed about 80 students and 15 staff members inside the building, a town news release stated.
The school's non-compliance with building codes included a septic system and unsafe fire exit, raised serious safety concerns for the students and staff, the town stated. The school failed to obtain the required planning approvals, and building and occupancy permits, the town added.
An emergency service inspection resulted in the issuance of an inspection order on Sept. 13. The building must revert to its authorized use as a single-family dwelling and discontinue operations as a school, according to the town. Compliance with the fire code inspection order is required by Oct. 15.
