Safety concerns raised about the return of special needs students to classrooms

BY PAUL JUNOR

The Ontario government declared a second provincial emergency, which extended school closures to February 10^th, 2021. The rising cases of COVID-19 infections, particularly in Southern Ontario, has closed schools in hotspots regions such as Toronto, Hamilton, Peel and Windsor.

Global News reported on December 17^th, 2020 that many parents of children in the Greater Toronto area were concerned that they did not receive guidance about what will happen with their children who have disabilities. The Toronto District School Board’s website indicated that, “Congregated sites will implement locally developed remote learning schedules. Parents need to consult with the principal of their school to make it happen.”

The Ministry of Education released in a statement that at the advice of experts, school boards should, “Ensure the most vulnerable kids who cannot participate in remote learning can continue to benefit from routine and consistency in class, coupled with the communication of strong health and safety measures.”

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) opened its doors on January 4^th, 2021, and the Durham District School Board (DDSB) on January 5^th, 2021 to students with special needs to start in-class learning. The Toronto Star reported on Monday, January 18^th, 2021 that DDSB has opened 42 of its schools for 393 students, PDSB; 67 students, TCDSB; 40 students, and TDSB; 71 students to provide 100 in-class support.

Jim Rossiter, a special education teacher for the DDSB has expressed specific concerns to the Toronto Star. He states, “Everybody’s shut down, but we’re still going in and not social distancing properly with the students that we have, because we can’t.” The main issue is that many of these students are not able to practice physical distancing and wear masks.

Many parents of children with special needs report that their children fell behind during the first lockdown, which occurred in March, and online learning does not work. The ideal environment for them is the structure and atmosphere of a classroom. Many educational assistants reported that they are concerned and worried about their safety. Rossiter states, “What I think should happen is if they’re shutting everything down, they need to shut it down, even for the kids right now.”

CP24 reported on Monday, January 25^th, 2021, that support staff that work at Beverly School, and focus on students with developmental and/or physical disability, have engaged in a work refusal.

The principal wrote a letter to parents informing them about the work refusal process. The letter states, “This process involves the TDSB and the Ministry of Labour discussing concerns with the impacted staff to come to a resolution. In this particular situation, there are concerns about COVID-19.”

CP24 reported that the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has insisted that the provincial government spend more money to ensure there are enhanced safety measures. EFTO released a statement that, “For some students with complex special needs, there are no viable alternatives to the highly specialized in-person programs they currently attend. However, their safety, and that of the educators and other school-based staff that support them, should not be compromised.”

City News reported on Tuesday, January 26^th, 2021 that 22 support staff continued their refusal to work. They still have concerns about safety after two school bus drivers tested for COVID-I9.