Parents of La Cañada del Fenollar School Stand Up in Protest

Parents and teachers from the La Cañada del Fenollar School community will mobilise this Friday to demand the construction of a new educational centre, a project that has been pending for 15 years. On 29th November, from 8:45 am, families will hang ribbons on the school's fences to highlight the urgency of this construction, as the current facilities are located in a flood-prone area.

Through a social media post, they have stated, "We are driven by fear of a catastrophe, by the unjust and unjustifiable delay, and also as a reminder to our political representatives that what happened in Valencia could happen here."

In this regard, AMPA spokesperson Cristina Moya explained at the November municipal meeting that families are worried about "whether our children will finish the school day alive." She added, "There is a risk of a wall collapsing on them or being swept away by water to San Gabriel. Are they going to wait for a tragedy to occur before taking action?"

Families have reported that when the project for the new centre was approved at a different location, it cost one and a half million less than it does today, something they blame on the government team. "They will tire of seeing us protest before we tire of claiming our rights."

The CEIP La Cañada del Fenollar is located in one of the flood-prone areas of this rural part of Alicante, which can be inundated in case of torrential rains or DANA. This is why residents are demanding that the procedures be expedited to relocate it as soon as possible.

The educational community reminds that it is one of the centres with students in prefabricated classrooms -barracks-. Families also denounce the poor condition of some of these constructions, as well as the non-compliant bathrooms, the obsolete septic tank, and unsafe access routes.

"They seem not to understand that we are concerned about our children's lives, and we will continue to protest until they listen to us," insisted Moya.

The mayor addressed the families at the end of the session to inform them that on 5th December, they will meet with the Councillor for Education, Mari Carmen de España, who will explain the current timelines.

The last progress in the construction of this educational centre was in April 2024, when the council requested an increase in the budget of 1.3 million euros from the Conselleria. Once accepted, it will be necessary to put the construction of this centre out to tender.

The construction project for the CEIP La Cañada del Fenollar includes a budget of 6,083,220 euros (including the requested budget increase) and an execution period of 22 months. The City Council is advancing this action of the Edificant Plan financed by the Generalitat, pending price review, prior to the start of the tender process.

The CEIP La Cañada del Fenollar will be built on the urbanised plot provided by the City Council located between Aucuba and Madroño streets and will feature four Early Childhood Education classrooms and six Primary Education classrooms, in addition to three additional ordinary classrooms, support and special education classrooms, kitchen and dining room for 392 diners in two shifts, offices, gymnasium, multipurpose rooms, storage, library, caretaker's residence, all with a total usable area of 1,475 square metres, which rises to 3,380 square metres built.

Additionally, it will have another 2,420 square metres of outdoor spaces that include extensions of the early childhood classrooms to the outside, porches, a sports court, play areas for Early Childhood and Primary, a school garden, landscaped areas, and car parking.

The project is developed over two floors, a U-shaped ground floor with perimeter routes that overcome the slope of the plot. And a first floor with exterior and interior access from the ground floor that complements the rest of the classroom programme.

In the centre of the U is the open outdoor courtyard, around which the school's programme is developed. The rest of the plot is complemented by a sports court, garden, green spaces, and parking. There is a main entrance, to the southeast, linked to administrative and external services, classrooms, and internal use rooms. And another northeast entrance, for vehicular traffic, where the facilities, goods, and access to the parking are located.