Classrooms on brink of closure as students with disabilities excluded in alarming numbers

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request from The Trillium paints a disturbing picture of the reality students with disabilities and their families face in Ontario’s education system says a news release from the NDP.

"This comes after the Ministry of Education explicitly refused to release exclusion data on numerous occasions to provide transparency and accountability for families who have to live in uncertainty due to exclusions," says the release.

See: Even with new data, schools have 'unchecked power' to exclude students with disabilities: advocates

"Students are excluded for one reason only: safety," said a spokesperson for the Near North District School Board. "They are used as a short-term 'pause' that provides teams with the time needed to gather more information, additional resources, and put plans in place that will ensure the safety of the student and the safety of others."

The Near North District School Board says students are never excluded for staff shortages but raised the prospect that entire classes could be closed because of them this year.

“As of yet, we have not shuttered classrooms due to E.A. shortages, however, we expect that we could be in this position in this school year,” said a statement from the board’s Safe Schools team.

In response to that data, Official Opposition Ontario NDP Education critic Chandra Pasma said, “It is alarming that the Minister, despite having access to this data, repeatedly failed to acknowledge that exclusions were taking place in Ontario’s classrooms. 

"This data is deeply concerning — classrooms on the brink of shuttering due to lack of Educational Assistants, parents being unable to work because of endless exclusions, and harmful inconsistency impacting students’ development.  The Minister needs to face the problem urgently and provide solutions that go beyond touting announcements that are failing to meet the needs of families across Ontario.” 

Ministry data shows 7,722 days of exclusion in the 2021-22 school year, half of the students impacted by this were receiving special education services.

With files from The Trillium.