Latest news with #inclusiveeducation
National Post
4 days ago
- General
- National Post
Fewer education assistants means less support for Delta students
Article content DELTA, British Columbia — A shortage of education assistants in Delta Schools will mean less support for the district's most vulnerable students next school year. This is the warning from CUPE 1091, the union representing school support workers in the Delta School District. Article content 'Education assistants are overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of students. Come September, there will be even fewer of them,' says Daun Frederickson, a Delta school support worker and president of CUPE 1091. 'It is so much harder for students with complex needs to succeed at school without one-on-one support. For our schools to be truly inclusive, they need EAs.' Article content The Delta School District is faced with a half million-dollar shortfall for its 2025-2026 budget. Despite an ongoing shortage of EAs, the district will not be able to replace retiring EAs and will need to leave other EA and support staff positions vacant, unless the province steps in with more education funding for the next school year. Article content 'B.C. public schools should be inclusive for every child. Cutting EAs, like in Delta, Surrey, and Prince George, just to name a few communities, makes it harder for schools to be inclusive for students with complex needs,' says Paul Simpson, head of the K-12 Presidents Council and a Burnaby school support worker. Article content The K-12 Presidents Council, representing over 60 K-12 support staff union locals across B.C., including CUPE 1091, says the cuts being experienced in Delta are happening across B.C. It has launched a province-wide campaign, Better BC Schools, calling on the province to increase funding for EAs and other supports for public schools to help B.C. families. Article content 'School support workers could be doing so much more – helping more students in every grade, helping expand before- and after- school child care spaces we desperately need,' says Simpson. 'These are investments that could make a real difference for practically every family in this province. All school support workers in B.C. are dedicated to making our schools better for students and are ready to work with school districts and the province towards that goal.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For more information: Article content
CTV News
12-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Inclusion Lethbridge to honour Nicholas Sheran Elementary School with award
Nicholas Sheran Elementary School will be given the Betty Grigg Inclusive Education Award by Inclusion Lethbridge for its efforts to display outstanding inclusive practices in dealing with staff, students, families and the community. (CTV News Lethbridge)
Irish Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on schools and autism: children's rights must be upheld
A recent Department of Education review revealing that nearly all 30 schools it inspected had admission policies which could restrict enrolment of autistic children is a stark reminder of the barriers vulnerable children face in accessing education. The clauses in admission policies - requiring participation in mainstream classes, setting thresholds on disability levels, or excluding students based on potential behaviour - contravene the principles of inclusive schooling. This issue is not isolated. Across the State, families of children with additional needs are struggling to access schools in their localities. Parents, in many cases, are forced to apply to dozens of schools without success. This leads to situations where children's needs are not met, where they must travel long distances to find a school and where some are left without any school place. For many schools, there can be a reluctance to open special classes. Principals and school managers worry about whether resources and supports will follow the pupils and if there will be training for their teachers. READ MORE The Government insists resources are available, as well as teacher upskilling. However, the chaotic manner in which special classes are currently being opened in schools and the under-projection of the level of need has not helped to build either trust or confidence. The Minister for Education Helen McEntee's decision to request that school patron bodies t review their school admission policies is a first step in the right direction. Her department must continue to monitor compliance and hold schools accountable. It must also improve planning to ensure families have certainty over places and that all supports needed by schools are available. Inclusion should not be an aspiration but a standard. Every child, regardless of their abilities, has the right to access quality education in an a supportive environment. It is long past time for decisive action to dismantle the barriers that have long hindered this right for children with autism in Ireland.
