Changing relationships: the impacts of a school's closure on rural families

Through the use of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 22 of residents of Limerick, Saskatchewan, in this article we use social ecological theory to examine the impacts of a rural school's closure on the lives of rural families. The findings show that leisure-related school activities developed and maintained valued interpersonal relationships between parents, children and the broader community; however, since the school's closure, relationships within the community have shifted. As a result, rural families have experienced a sense of disconnection from their community and family, but have also established new relationships and social activities in outlying communities. This article thus demonstrates the complex ways in which both the presence and absence of school-based leisure activities can impact families and their relationships within rural communities.