A delegation of parents of children with developmental disabilities who attend Listowel District Secondary School was critical of the way the Avon Maitland District School Board deals with their children and others with similar problems.
Local resident Bruce Fitzgerald spoke for the group at last night's board meeting.
He said the problem is not limited to the Listowel school or the Avon Maitland board -- it's province-wide. He added at that the policy of including those children in regular classrooms doesn't meet their needs.
He said students with developmental disabilities need individual classes that can meet their needs. He also claims at the secondary level those students are not being told special classes are an option and the board is misrepresenting demand for those classes.
But Ted Doherty, the director of education for the Avon Maitland District School Board, said there are some inaccuracies.
Doherty says the secondary schools, like the elementary schools, provide a mix of options for students. He explained, years ago, a student with disabilities coming out of Grade 1 was automatically placed in a self-contained class. But that policy was changed and, where possible, all children started out in a regular classroom to see how they responded.
He added that it's always done after extensive consultation with the parents and the consultation continues as the child makes their way through elementary school.
Doherty said self-contained classrooms are also available at the secondary level and they have a variety of ways of using them. Some students are partly integrated into regular classrooms while others are fully integrated.
Still, Fitzgerald said he wants the board to conduct and evaluation to determine if current policy is meeting the needs of the students.
Fitzgerald added that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled schools have to deal with the issue based on the needs of the student, and the school board must provide whatever meets those needs.
