Toronto schools stink, raccoon infested

TORONTO, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Parents of students at five schools in Toronto say they have banded together to get the school board to replace decrepit, raccoon infested portable classrooms.

The 20-year-old buildings are part of several overcrowded schools in the East York section of the city, the Toronto Star reported Wednesday.

"We deserve to be at the top of the list for capital funding," said Peter Saros, co-chair of the parent council at Secord Public School.

The lack of funding for schools in East York was "offensive," Saros said, adding, "We don't have political sway. If we speak out, it's not heard."

School trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher said the portables at two schools are "decaying and prone to infestations of raccoons." The stink, she said, is "incredible."

Schools that were already overcrowded were made worse when full-day kindergarten was introduced at one public school in the area. That forced some students to be shifted to other schools. In one instance, elementary school students ended up at a middle school not equipped for grade schoolers.

Cary-Meagher said the board passed a motion in June for one school to get $30 million in funding. The request was sent on to the province.