A parent of a Prince Arthur Junior High student says there should have been more consultation after an abrupt announcement the school would be demolished to make way for a new one.

The school board says it learned on May 6 the province's ideal site for a new primary to grade nine school in Dartmouth was so close to the old Prince Arthur location that in order to keep construction on schedule, it was best to tear down the old school completely. Parents were notified by phone and email on the same day.

"I was very surprised. It was the first I had heard about it," said parent Holly Brown.

She says the school advisory committee, of which she's a member, only had one meeting to give input to the decision.

Brown is worried students will be split up and their new schools might not have adequate facilities for all of them.

"I still would be supportive of a relocation if we had a little bit more time for our affected school community to provide feedback on relocation," she said.

Gin Yee is the district's school board representative. He'd like to hear if the whole school advisory committee feels the same way.

"If they say they need more consultation, I'll certainly raise that issue with the superintendent and if necessary to the governing board," he said.

No plan as of yet for where to send the students

However, Yee says taking more time for consultation could push back the build time for the new school.

The school board is working through a plan for where students will go beginning in September and hopes to have a decision on that early this week.

The new school is slated to open in September 2017.

The decision will affect 300 students at Prince Arthur.

The new Primary to Grade 9 school is going to be built on the soccer field adjacent to Prince Arthur.