This week the trustees from the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) voted to write a letter to Lisa Thompson, the Minister of Education, and Lisa MacLeod, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, to address concerns related to the changes to the Ontario Autism Program. This is the letter:
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I am writing to you on behalf of the board of trustees from the Simcoe County District School board (SCDSB) to express our concerns with respect to recent changes to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) and the direct and challenging impacts these changes will have on all the students in our board, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The SCDSB recognizes the fiscal challenges facing the Province of Ontario and agrees that solutions involve making difficult decisions.
The SCDSB also recognizes that today's fiscal challenges were not created overnight; therefore, successful and sustainable solutions must be well planned and take place over an appropriate amount of time to ensure one solution doesn't result in creating another unintended consequence, namely in education.
The SCDSB currently supports approximately 1,000 students diagnosed with ASD, a number that has increased 100 percent during the past 10 years.
Recently announced changes to the OAP, which provides external supports and services to children and youth diagnosed with ASD, has resulted in many families reaching out to individual schools to register and/or inform the school of an increase in time that their children will now spend at school.
As a school board, the SCDSB educates over 52,000 students across 102 school sites, which requires significant pre-planning, staffing, budgeting, facility renovations (if needed) to meet the needs of the system in an efficient and effective manner.
The SCDSB, like all school boards, already experiences significant fiscal challenges related to special education, and changes to the OAP will only serve to exacerbate that challenge.
As a board, the SCDSB welcomes the recent announcement by the Ministry of Children and Community and Social Services to extend funding to children/youth currently involved in therapy for an additional six months to allow for time to transition appropriately.
That said, sharing of information between service providers and the schools (regardless of when the transition with occur) will be critical to ensure both schools and children are appropriately ready to accommodate the transition.
Related to the sharing of information, learning and needs profiles for children/youth currently receiving direct therapy by service agencies is not being shared with boards of education and without access to the information, it makes it extremely difficult for school boards to prepare for the increase in student enrolment.
As stated earlier in this letter, as a board we recognize the fiscal challenges facing the province. That said, foundational to policy development involving vulnerable persons, including those with ASD is the premise, "nothing about us without us", which underlines the importance of consulting and providing an opportunity for direct participation in change.
The intention of this letter is not to comment on changes to the OAP, specifically as it relates to services provided to families.
The SCDSB supports the opening of additional ASD diagnostic hubs, including those in Simcoe County, as well as the goal of reducing wait-lists to provide service to more children in need.
The SCDSB also recognizes that any/all changes must be well thought out, planned and provide adequate opportunity for those impacted by he changes, including families and schools, as well as adequate funding and time to ensure the transition of students is completed safely and successfully.
Jodi Lloyd
Chairperson, Simcoe County District School Board
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