FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2024
SASKATOON, SK– Inclusion Saskatchewan and Inclusion Canada express deep concern for the Stevenson family, whose son, Hugo, has been excluded from full-day schooling due to a lack of Educational Assistants (EAs).
Hugo, 10, requires support throughout the school day. However, insufficient EA resources resulted in his school only allowing him to attend classes in the morning.
Kath Stevenson, Hugo’s mother, is frustrated by the lack of action after last year’s teachers' strike, which highlighted the urgent need for better classroom resources. The provincial government and school system have not corrected this situation, and the result is a violation of children’s right to a full education alongside their peers.
“Saskatchewan is known for having close communities where neighbours lift one another up, and the classroom is a child’s community. Excluding children with disabilities from their communities in this way is discriminatory and leads us further away from the values that our province is built upon”, said Bluesette Campbell, President of Inclusion Saskatchewan.
What is most concerning is that this alarming situation is not isolated to one classroom in Saskatchewan. In classrooms across the province and Canada at-large, students with disabilities are being deprived of their right to inclusive education due to chronic underfunding leading to inadequate staffing, and lack of training and support for students, schools and classrooms.
A recent report from Mr. Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick’s Child and Youth Advocate, A Policy of Giving Up, illustrates the harmful and illegal exclusion of children with disabilities in that province. “We found hundreds of cases where school districts are just sending their most vulnerable children home without any services for part of the day,” Lamrock said in the release of his report. “It is bad practice, it is illegal, and there needs to be accountability and oversight.”
“Partial school attendance is a much too common discriminatory practice in classrooms across the country,” says Krista Carr, Executive Vice President of Inclusion Canada. “It not only alienates children with disabilities, but also violates their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Canada signed in 2010. Article 24 explicitly guarantees the same right to an inclusive education for students with disabilities as their peers. Provincial and territorial governments are failing to live up to these commitments and it is currently at a crisis point.”
Inclusion Canada’s national initiative, Inclusive Education Canada, has recently conducted a survey of parents whose children have been subjected to partial school days, shining a spotlight on the systemic failures in inclusive education across the country. A report analysing the data is expected soon.
“It’s time for schools in our country to fulfil the promise of equality and inclusion we claim to support. Every child has a right to a full and appropriate education, and the support to make that possible must be provided. The Supreme Court in Moore vs BC clarified that funding essential supports is required. It is not an option” says Gordon Porter, Director of Inclusive Education Canada.
We urge the Saskatchewan government and all provincial and territorial governments to make inclusive education for ALL children, a priority. Every student has the right to a quality, inclusive education. This includes providing the resources, training, support and commitment required to ensure all children access quality, inclusive education on an equal basis with others. It’s time to end this discriminatory practice of partial day education. The time to act is now.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Marc Muschler, Senior Communications Officer
416-661-9611 ext. 232
About Inclusion Canada
Inclusion Canada is a nationwide community that champions the rights and inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, allies, and local associations across Canada. The organization is committed to creating an inclusive Canada where everyone, regardless of intellectual capability, is valued and fully engaged in community life.
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