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| Abbotsford, B.C., parent Karen Copeland pulled her son out of public education after he was put on a waiting list for the educational support he needed. |
“The teacher was wonderful, but she was limited because the caseload was so high,” Ms. Copeland explains. “They just didn’t have the funding to support him in the way that he needed.” She enrolled her son in a public distance learning school, where he receives an individual learning program for his learning disability.
On Jan. 14, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that it will hear an appeal from the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) regarding classroom sizes, composition of students and the ratio of specialist teachers in their contract with the Ministry of Education. The ruling opens a window for teachers in British Columbia who currently cannot legally negotiate these terms as part of their labour contracts.
The legal battle between the B.C. government and BCTF could have national implications for the two-decade-long move toward inclusion: the principle, championed by disability advocates, that all children are entitled to equitable access to education in regular public-school classrooms. While provincial school systems across the country have long committed to inclusion, financially strapped systems are forced to compromise.
This has led many Canadian parents, such as Ms. Copeland, who is also active with the advocacy group BC Parents of Special Needs Children, to turn to alternative schooling options such as distance education centres. In a survey of 236 parents of children with special needs, 51 per cent removed them from the public system, according to the group. (more...)
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