A global supply chain issue is being blamed for classroom windows being boarded up at Beaverbrook School in Moncton, N.B.
A specific type of glass is needed, but it’s not available, at least not yet, so pressboard has been installed in a dozen windows.
In a letter to parents, the superintendent of the Anglophone East School District said the safety and security of students and staff will not be affected, and fire safety codes are being followed.
“At this point, we have no concerns around the safety [of students] and staff,” said Randy MacLean.
“But at the same time, it’s also one of those things where once we get all the students in the building, we’ll continue to monitor. If we have to make changes, we’ll continue to pivot and shift as need be, but there are no safety concerns.”
The goal is to have construction work done by late September at the K-8 school, but some of the roughly 180 students will be without windows until then.
“We like sunny weather, so we can get students outside as well and be active as they were all summer. We’ll continue to do that. But if we have to make moves, we will. But right now, we don’t have concerns,” said MacLean.
“We are at the mercy of the supply chain, it’s just where we are in the world today. It’s not a matter of somebody dropped the ball, or somebody didn’t do something. It’s just a reality of the world we live in right now.”
Education Minister Dominic Cardy said supply chain issues are happening at other schools in the province too, including in his Hanwell riding.
“It’s something that has come up and it’s often a consistent problem, even without the global supply problems we’ve been facing for the last number of months. It’s going to continue to happen,” said Cardy. “We continue to work as hard as we can to continue to fill those gaps as quickly as we can — in this case, the gaps in the walls.”
Mike Mann, the president of Maritime Door & Window in Moncton, said there is no extra supply of most types of glass right now.
“What we have been dealing with and what the glass industry is dealing with, is a shortage of a supply of sand and trucking, those are the two major constraints,” said Mann. “Some manufacturers are on allocation where they only allow you to purchase x-amount through whatever quarter. And once you use that allocation up, it’s as available.”
CTV News reached out to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for more details on the project, but did not hear back by deadline.