Trustees vote to keep OCDSB's special needs programs intact
Social Sharing
A proposal to phase out several special needs programs offered by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has been voted down.
At a committee of the whole meeting Tuesday night, school board trustees voted against phasing out 26 specialized classes including programs for students with learning disabilities. As a result, the proposal will not go forward when trustees conduct a final vote on a wider elementary program review next week.
The school board was proposing to phase out these programs, reallocate the resources to regular classrooms and address the requirements of special needs students there.
Speaking to CBC after the meeting, OCDSB director of education Pino Buffone said the vote was "clear direction" from trustees to continue supporting those specialized programs.
Under the proposal, 116 other classes in the board's autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities programs would have continued.
Trustee Lyra Evans was among those who voted against the recommendation to cut the special needs programs. She told CBC it's important for the OCDSB to continue supporting students with special needs.
"Special education students are among our highest-need group of students. They are the group that is often least able to advocate on their own behalf and they are the group that is most likely to be struggling at the back of the classroom if there is not adequate support," Evans said.
Alternative schools, boundaries to go to a final vote
While the proposed changes to specialized classes were nixed, trustees approved three other recommendations as part of the elementary program review, to be discussed further when the board reconvenes next week.
Those recommendations including streamlining programs to enhance English and French immersion, as well as changes to school boundaries and grade configurations — steps Buffone called "a huge step forward for the district."
The recommendation to phase out the alternative school program, which place less emphasis on grades and focus more on letting students learn at their own pace, was also passed. That came as a disappointment to some parents who watched the meeting from the second floor gallery and applauded when trustees spoke out in defence of the program.
Trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth said she opposed most of the recommendations, including one that would leave a small number of schools with English programming only and no option for French immersion.
"I'm against the cuts to special education, I'm against the closure of alternative schools, and I'm strongly against them leaving the most disadvantaged schools without dual-track," she said, referring to schools that offer programs in both languages.
"I wanted to be able to look children in the eye and my constituents in the eye and say that we made it better, that we actually addressed disparities that we've acknowledged year after year and decade after decade, and we haven't done that."
Parents in OCDSB worried kids with special needs will end up with less support in the classroom
1 month ago
Duration 4:32
The Ottawa-Carleton District School board is facing its fifth straight deficit and could cut educational assistants. At the same time, it's making big changes that include phasing out 39 specialized classes.
Parent Laura MacKenzie told CBC she plans to continue advocating to keep the OCDSB's alternative school program running.
"We believe that alternative programs and alternative schools need to exist for diverse educational choice in Ottawa," she said.
Another recommendation to keep students in their current program whenever possible also passed.
The recommendations that were passed Tuesday are now set to go for a final vote at special board meeting May 13.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
As AI tools become more accessible, the N.W.T. gov't works to develop policy on their use
The N.W.T. government is working to develop a policy for its use of artificial intelligence tools, with some initial guidelines expected at the end of this month. The question of how AI should be used is one that governments, businesses and organizations all over are grappling with as the technology becomes more accessible — in particular, generative AI tools like ChatGPT which can create new text, images, and other media. Currently, N.W.T. government workers are directed to follow the federal government's guide on the use of AI when using such tools in the workplace. The territory is now working to develop its own policy. A statement from the N.W.T. department of finance says that the territorial government sees potential for AI applications to be used in "administrative process automation, data analysis, and software development," but also notes that careful human oversight will be required when using AI tools for anything involving sensitive personal information, critical infrastructure, and significant policy decisions. AI use will also be subject to the territory's information management policies, the government says. Whether certain AI applications will be approved for use by the territorial government is unclear. The N.W.T. government says it has not yet established a formal list of approved AI suppliers, and the work to evaluate suppliers that meet security and privacy standards is ongoing. AI and N.W.T. lawyers Meanwhile, the territory's legal society is also looking at how to effectively and responsibly use the technology. In January, the Law Society of the Northwest Territories issued its own guidelines for the use of AI by N.W.T. lawyers. It includes an overview of different AI models that are designed for the legal profession to use for drafting and reviewing documents. The guidelines note that transparency with clients is key, along with research into different applications. The law society also notes that checking generated content for any bias is crucial. "This requires thoroughly reviewing and refining any outputs to remove biased language or inaccuracies, as unchecked use of AI-generated content could inadvertently lead to harmful outcomes," the guidelines read. In a statement, the N.W.T. Department of Justice said that the territory's court services currently "do not have any policies, guidelines or directives, that address the use of AI." Earlier this year the Northwest Territories Law Foundation, which collects the interest from lawyers' trust accounts and then distributes that money back to the public through various law-related initiatives, gave some money to CanLII to incorporate AI-generated summaries of N.W.T. cases and laws. CanLII (Canadian Legal Information Institute) is a public-domain online database of Canadian court decisions, laws, and legislative documents. "The CanLII grant was made on the basis of legal education, to try and make law more accessible to members of the public who might not have a legal education," said Morgan Fane, director of the N.W.T. Law Foundation. Fane, a Crown prosecutor, says he doesn't use AI tools in his own professional practice. He also says that he thinks most lawyers would prefer to do their research without using AI. Creating a 'better public service' Adegboyega Ojo, the Canada Research Chair in Governance and Artificial Intelligence, says right now governments are looking to establish trust with the public when it comes to the ethical use of the technology. He would like to see territorial and provincial governments working alongside research institutes and universities to determine how AI could be used to tackle regional priorities. "They need a partner that could help them understand, navigate that journey… I think it's critical in terms of, if you're going to see any meaningful development here," said Ojo. Ojo said he thinks AI can be used to increase efficiency within the public service, without cutting jobs. "Hopefully that creates a better public service fundamentally rather than just a smaller government." Ojo said that determining which AI applications are best to use can be complicated, but that it boils down to transparency. For example, he pointed to companies that provide model cards, which provide detail about what data an application was trained on, as well as other ethical considerations and key information. Ojo said impartial evaluations by research groups and non-profits is another crucial step to holding AI companies accountable. Businesses and AI Some N.W.T. businesses are also looking for ways to incorporate AI into their work, although they may be relatively few in number for now. A 2025 Statistics Canada business survey found that around 12 N.W.T. businesses out of 146 respondents plan to adopt software using artificial intelligence in the next 12 months. Natsai Musarurwa is a consultant in Yellowknife, and she's already using AI in her daily work. She specializes in creating business plans, bookkeeping and strategic management. "There was a time that I would not have touched research with AI with a 10-foot pole — but now I can," said Musarurwa. Musarurwa said her perspective on AI has changed over the last year as the technology has seen significant advancements. There are AI models for lawyers that can draft up opening statements, others that allow people with little to no experience in coding to build apps, and some that specialize in producing marketing slogans. "It used to take me 40 hours to do a business plan, and I can get a business plan done now in a day," Musarurwa said.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Canada, China, Mexico, Japan and EU urge Trump not to impose new airplane tariffs
Five nations and the European Union, as well as airlines and aerospace firms worldwide, urged the Trump administration not to impose new national security tariffs on imported commercial planes and parts, documents released on Tuesday showed. Airlines and planemakers have been lobbying President Donald Trump to restore the tariff-free regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement that has yielded an annual trade surplus of US$75 billion for the U.S. industry. The documents made public by the U.S. Commerce Department bared concerns over the fallout of possible new tariffs expressed by companies as well as nations such as Canada, China, Japan, Mexico and Switzerland, besides the European Union. 'As reliable trading partners, the European Union and United States should strengthen their trade regarding aircraft and aircraft parts, rather than hinder it by imposing trade restrictions,' the EU wrote. It would consider its options 'to ensure a level playing field,' it added. Trump has already imposed tariffs of 10 per cent on nearly all airplane and parts imports. 'No country or region should attempt to support the development of its domestic aircraft manufacturing industry by suppressing foreign competitors,' the Chinese government wrote. Separately, U.S. planemaker Boeing cited a recent trade deal unveiled in May with Britain that ensures tariff-free treatment for airplanes and parts. Opinion: Carney was right to not retaliate against Trump's latest tariffs 'The United States should ensure duty-free treatment for commercial aircraft and their parts in any negotiated trade agreement, similar to its efforts with the United Kingdom,' Boeing told the Commerce Department in a filing. Mexico said in 2024 it exported US$1.45 billion in aircraft parts, just a tenth of the total, to the United States. The EU said it took U.S. exports of aircraft worth roughly US$12 billion, while exporting about $8 billion of aircraft to the U.S. In early May, the Commerce Department launched a 'Section 232' national security investigation into imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts that could form the basis for even higher tariffs on such imports. Last week, Delta Air Lines and major trade groups warned of tariffs' impact on ticket prices, aviation safety and supply chains. 'Current U.S. tariffs on aviation are putting domestic production of commercial aircraft at risk,' Airbus Americas CEO Robin Hayes said in a filing. 'It is not realistic or sensible today to create a 100 per cent domestic supply chain in any country.' Boeing said it had been increasing U.S. content in its airplanes over the last decade and its newest airplanes, the 737 MAX 10 and 777X, would have 'more than 88 per cent domestically-sourced content.' The United Auto Workers union, which represents 10,000 aerospace workers, said it supports tariffs and domestic production quotas, adding that U.S. aerospace employment has fallen to 510,000 in 2024 from 850,000 in 1990. 'To safeguard the entire aerospace supply chain across the commercial and defense sectors, comprehensive tariffs and production quotas on several products are needed,' it said. JetBlue Airways opposed new tariffs, however, saying, 'Trade policy should reinforce, not destabilize, the proven systems that keep our aircraft flying safely and affordably.'
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
G7 Leaders' Summit road and trail closures in place around Kananaskis
The G7 Leaders' Summit begins Sunday, and in preparation, some roads and trails are now closed in the Kananaskis area.
