Special Education Forum Minutes s2

Etobicoke Centre Special Education Forum Minutes Tuesday, March 19, 2013 – Burnhamthorpe Collegiate

Varla Abrams (Principal, Burnhamthorpe) Terry Quinton (Parent, Humber Valley) Nura Aman (CUS/PSI) Judith Sargent (Parent, Richview) Gary Bunch (York University) Phillip Sargent (SEAC Rep./Parent, Richview) David Chudoba (Parent, Broadacres/Hollycrest) Charlene Sam (Parent, Richview) Betty Dias (Parent, Mill Valley) Ross Simpson (Parent, Mill Valley) Chris Glover (Trustee) Nancy Trendoff (Constituency Assistant) Maritza Guzman (Central Tech.) Susan Winter (Superintendent)

1. INTRODUCTIONS – Chris Glover

Meeting called to order by Chris at 7:03 p.m. Trustee Glover welcomed everyone to the meeting. All in attendance introduced themselves.

2. INTRODUCTION TO BURNHAMTHORPE – Varla Abrams

Burnhamthorpe offers the Ed-Vance Program for students ages 18-21. Teachers are committed to differentiated instruction catered to students’ needs. A GLE (General Learning Strategies) teacher is available to develop student IEPs (Individual Education Plans). The Adult Credit Program offers courses for students ages 21 and up who have not graduated high school, are interested in retraining, or are new Canadians. The Special Education program provides students with developmental disabilities the skills required for everyday living as well as academic training. There are currently 13 students in the program ages 14-20 with a variety of needs. Half of these students are on the autistic spectrum. Activities include a swimming program at the Etobicoke Olympium, cooking program, shopping at Loblaws, TTC training, bowling and music. Students work on the school bulletin boards and are included as much as possible in regular school activities including having their own valedictorian at graduation. Outstanding teachers and educational assistants help to make this an amazing program.

QUESTION: Do community agencies come in to help students transition past high school?

Teachers take individual families to various programs and a social worker works closely with them well in advance. They start training students early so they can be ready to move on once they turn 21. Individual SST (School Support Teams) meetings are held with each family. An IPRC (Identification, Placement and Review Committee) meeting takes place as part of the transition plan.

3. SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) UPDATE – Phillip Sargent a)SEAC Agenda: Much debate recently over dates of meetings. Dates will be posted on the board website or please email Chris ([email protected]) or Phil ([email protected]) directly. b) SEAC/PIAC: SEAC has been working with PIAC (Parent Involvement Advisory Committee) and there is a lot of crossover between both committees. There has been discussion on how we can pull together our resources. Since they are advisory groups, not advocacy groups, the challenge is: “How can we affect change and provide information to the board effectively?” c) Budget: There are concerns regarding the $29 million debenture and how it will impact special education. $3.5 million is slated to be cut from Special Education. This information was not brought to the SEAC meeting by the Director of Special Education. When asked what programs were closing, no answer was given. The board voted on the budget two days after the SEAC meeting. There is concern about the lack of transparency and lack of communication with SEAC. Susan commented that, when considering budget cuts, higher needs students will be given high priority. d) Student Census: The census was conducted for students grades 7-12. They are still collating data on the mental health and well-being survey. e) Caring and Safe Schools Act: A draft of the Caring and Safe Schools Act will be going to the board in April. Special education students tend to be bullied more than others and, therefore, this act is of special interest to SEAC. f) Special Dates: March 26 is National Purple Day for Epilepsy and April 2 is World Autism Day.

4. TRUSTEE UPDATE – Chris Glover a) We are often discussing transition plans for special needs students when leaving high school. There is a conference that may provide some innovative ideas. Social Enterprise Partnership for People with Disabilities in Taiwan will take place Wednesday, March 20, 12:00-1:30 pm at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (U of T), 252 Bloor St. West, Room 3-104. No registration is required. Presenters will explore different types of social enterprise and employment examples, legal and policy issues, and sustainability to social enterprises. For more information, email [email protected]. b) Inclusion: Gary Bunch asked about the TDSB Fact Sheet #4 on the board website which published findings regarding inclusion. In response to an email requesting further information on this fact sheet, Sandy Spyropoulos replied: “Work around inclusion is ongoing. Information was gathered from the four Town Hall meetings in the fall. The Inclusion Committee is considering that information as well as doing a literature review.”

Comment made that it is important to be part of the discussion before rather than after decisions have already been made.

ACTION ITEM: Chris to find out who is on the Inclusion Committee mentioned in email.

Sandy Spyropoulos, Chief Academic Officer, provided this information after the meeting: The inclusion committee consists of a group of consultants, coordinators, VP, ASD Team members, BRS Team. They have analyzed the information from the Town Hall meetings. Been involved in literature reviews and reading research about inclusive practices, in conjunction with the Research Department. c) Capital Funding: Chris recapped the capital funding problem. The maintenance backlog in our schools is enormous. The Ministry of Education froze all capital projects due to the $10 million overspending on the Nelson Mandela historical restoration. In November, staff presented Trustees with a capital plan that included raising $100 million from the severance of playgrounds. They were told that if they passed the plan, the Ministry would unfreeze money for other capital projects. The Board initially voted against the proposal, but in December voted to have a report on playground severances. In April, the report will be coming back regarding severing schoolyards. The board will start with 15 schools, up to 50. It is important to contact our MPPs to stop the severance and to reinstate Ministry funding. Trustees opposed to severing playgrounds cannot fight this alone. Updates regarding property severance will be sent out.

5. BUDGET COMMITTEE SPECIAL EDUCATION Q&A REVIEW

The Special Education portion of the Budget Committee Q&A sheet was distributed and reviewed by all in attendance (see attached).

Part of the reason for the shortfall in Special Education is due to the fact that total enrollment is declining and, therefore, special education funding also declines.

QUESTION: Why are IPRCs going down (as shown in Q.10)?

Clarification was requested regarding an IEP and an IPRC. IEP (Individual Education Plan): How a student’s accommodations are made but may not necessarily require an IPRC. IPRC (Identification Placement Review Committee): Formal identification process based on a psychological assessment.

Psychological assessments are done by the board but there is a waiting list. Comment was made that an IPRC is not needed for a student to receive modifications. The Ministry does not provide money for students with IEPs or IPRCs. Funding is based solely on enrollment.

ACTION ITEM: Chris to find out if any of the $13.1 million (Section 23) is coming from the Ministry.

Sandy Spyropoulos, Chief Academic Officer provided this information after the meeting: All the funding for the Section 23 programs comes from the Ministry and is to be used for the Section 23 programs.

QUESTION: Will my son be guaranteed a placement when he reaches middle school?

The middle school will honour a student’s IEP and will modify the program accordingly. In high school, you will pick the stream that is most suitable, but the grade level will not change. It was recommended to speak with the principal or vice-principal six months prior to starting middle school.

QUESTION: How can the board change their program to make students excel? A parent commented that results with her child vary so much from teacher to teacher, school to school. How can this be addressed? Susan suggested talking with the principal to discuss what is working well or not working well, and to determine options for support such as Resource vs. HSP.

David commented that his son, who is attending tutoring sessions, has gone up three grade levels and doing very well. There is not enough support in the classroom to receive these types of results. Better results are seen from one hour with a tutor than an entire week at school.

Another comment was made that all teachers should be trained in special education. They should be able to meet the needs of all students. The Faculty of Education used to provide Spec Ed as part of the training but the Ministry removed it and it is now optional. All other provinces, except Ontario, provide training in Special Education (this change was made in the early ’80s).

QUESTION: Why have values not been increased? SEPPA (Special Education Per Pupil) and HNA (High Needs Amount) numbers have to be considered.

The $55 million expected shortfall is the primary reason for all the cuts. We have heard that Catholic schools send their special education students to the public schools.

6. ACCESSIBLE BUSSING FOR FIELD TRIPS SURVEY

Response from Janice Barker, Manager, TDSB Student Transportation regarding the demand for accessible busses:

 First Student no longer provides an accessible bus. It was not being sufficiently used and was sent to Port Elgin.  Stock currently has two accessible busses and reported that there were four bookings made at the beginning of this school year but they were all cancelled, probably due to the work to rule.  The accessible busses are used very little and are very costly. They sit in lots depreciating in value.  Basically, this is an issue of supply and demand.

Regarding accessible busses being costly and not used enough, a comment was made that many busses on regular bus routes are often half empty. A few seats could easily be removed in a regular bus to make it accessible. As well, a mixed-use bus could also be used on a regular route that is not usually full. Many schools may only require room for one wheelchair.

QUESTION: How many students would the typical accessible bus carry?

Sandy Spyropoulos, Chief Academic Officer provided the following information after the meeting:

 Stock Transportation 416-757-0565 has two converted 72-passenger busses that can accommodate 18 walk-on students with space for five (5) wheelchair students. The price is same as regular charter bus.  First Student Markham 905-294-5104 has a converted 72-passenger bus that can accommodate 34 walk-on students with space for two wheelchair students. The price is same as regular charter bus.

 Denny Bus Lines Ltd. 1-800-265-3389 has a converted 72-passenger bus that can accommodate 16 walk-on students with space for 10 wheelchair students. An additional cost of approximately $47 would be applied for this type of vehicle.

There will be a requirement for accessible school busses to be added into the next RFP/RFQ process for September 2014.

 TDSB transportation staff is tracking the demand for accessible transportation as currently availability is geared to demand.  Stock Transportation (York Region) has 450 vehicles of which one is accessible. The accessible bus is used one to two times per week at the most.  Stock Transportation (Oakville) has one 72-passenger accessible bus which is used three times every two weeks or 1.5 times per week.  First Student Markham’s accessible bus accounts for .8% of charter use (less than 1%).  Denny Bus Lines uses their accessible vehicle for students “once in a blue moon”. The rest of the time it is booked for residents of retirement homes.  Attridge has 300 vehicles of which one is accessible (40 walk-ons and 2 WC spaces). It is used in Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton on a daily basis. Student Transportation is working with Attridge to possibly add another vehicle for use within Toronto.

Phil commented that since the accessible busses do not hold as many walk-on students, a school would have to book another bus to accommodate all the students, therefore costing more. This may be a reason why principals are hesitant to book accessible busses.

Chris asked attendees to take a look at the draft survey (see attached) that will be sent to principals for input regarding accessible bussing. It was suggested that a calendar be provided to principals as to when accessible busses are available to avoid booking conflicts.

Any questions or feedback regarding the survey can be sent to [email protected].

Meeting was adjourned at 9:03 pm.

Thank you to the parents and staff members who came. Your time and commitment to improving Special Education in Etobicoke Centre is greatly appreciated.

A special thank you to Varla for hosting the meeting and introducing us to Burnhamthorpe Collegiate. Trustee Chris Glover