REPORT NO. 8 SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Transcription

1 REPORT NO. 8 SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO: The Committee of the Whole (Public) DATE: 17 September 2014 A meeting of the Special Education Advisory Committee was held this evening in the Trustees Committee Room, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, commencing at 7:00 p.m. with Rob Kirwan in the Chair and the following in attendance: TRUSTEE MEMBERS: Donna Blackburn, Pam FitzGerald, Bronwyn Funiciello GUEST TRUSTEE: Christine Boothby ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVES: Bruce Wallace, Association for Bright Children; Joyce Mortimer, Ontario Association for Families of Children with Communication Disorders; Mark Wylie, Down Syndrome Association; Rob Kirwan, Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities; Beth Doubt, Learning Disabilities Association of Ottawa-Carleton; Terry Warner, VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children; Jen Muise, Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils; and Teresa Hedley, Autism Ontario. COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES: Chris Ellis NON-VOTING REPRESENTATIVES: Jean Trant, OSSTF (SSP) STAFF: Olga Grigoriev, Superintendent of Learning Support Services; Peter Symmonds, System Principal of Learning Support Services; Christine Kessler, System Vice-Principal of Learning Support Services; Stacey Kay, Manager of Learning Support Services; Petra Duschner, Manager of Mental Health and Critical Services; Tim Hogan, Supervisor of Psychology; Maya Rattray, Supervisor of Speech and Language Pathology; Claire Darby-Millar, Anna Peacock, and Michelle Walter, Learning Support Consultants; and Joanie Asch, Board/Committee Coordinator Call to Order Chair Kirwan called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Approval of Agenda Moved by Trustee Blackburn, THAT the agenda be approved. - Carried Special Education Advisory Committee 1 17 September 2014

2 3. Delegations a. Sylvain Sauvé Mr. Sauvé described his autistic child s experience in a classroom, noting that an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapist works with his child at the private school his child currently attends. He noted that ABA therapists are not permitted in public schools, and asked the Committee to recommend that this be changed. Superintendent Grigoriev noted that staff can work in partnership with ABA therapists, but private employees cannot take on the work of OCDSB staff. She asked Mr. Sauvé to contact her regarding initiating a transition team to facilitate his child s move to an OCDSB school. b. Sandra Lahey Ms. Lahey raised a concern regarding a split grades seven and eight gifted class at Hawthorne Public School, which includes four grade eight students. An additional 24 grade eight students are in a separate class. She suggested that the four students in the split class are not benefiting from the enriched, congregated setting outlined in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The school has indicated that no reorganization of these classes will be made, despite several options she put forward. Superintendent Grigoriev noted that the grade eight teachers have a collaborative partnership to ensure that learning opportunities are equal for both groups of students, and the classes will combine from time to time to work together. System Principal Symmonds added that there are Board and Ministry caps on the number of children in special education classes. c. Sarah Croll Ms. Croll expressed concern about her child s transition from a learning disability (LD) class in grade eight to grade nine, and suggested that her child would be starting grade nine without an adequate background. Superintendent Grigoriev and System Principal Symmonds advised that the goal is for a seamless transition, as outlined in the student s IEP. Ms. Croll was encouraged to contact the Learning Support teacher at the current school to discuss a transition plan that could include modifications to the high school curriculum and additional support. d. Raquella Tejada Ms. Tejada could not attend the meeting, but asked Chair Kirwan to put forward her concern. On her behalf, Chair Kirwan noted that her child is in an LD program, but on the first day of school her child was placed in a regular class. Ms.Tejada was advised by the school that LD students are being integrated into Special Education Advisory Committee 2 17 September 2014

3 regular classes. She noted that she made multiple attempts to contact Learning Support Services, but had not received any response. Chair Kirwan noted that this concern is outside the scope of SEAC, and noted he had encouraged Ms. Tejada to contact Learning Support Services. 4. Members Information Beth Doubt provided information on two upcoming presentations sponsored by the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO). One will focus on behavior management for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), led by Richard Lavoie on October 26; and the second is a seminar on transitions coordinated by the Learning Disabilities chapter in Halton Region that will be done as a webinar. The school council training day, sponsored by the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) and the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), will be held on 27 September 2014 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Confederation Education Centre. Kristine Barnett, author of The Spark, will be speaking about her story at that event. Registration for ABC s Take Off Program begins on 02 October a. Update from Working Groups Beth Doubt reported that the regular Classroom Working Group had a productive meeting with Superintendent Buffone regarding dyscalculia (a learning disability for arithmetic). 5. Joyce Mortimer reported that the Transition Sub-Group had a very useful meeting with staff in June, regarding where best to focus. Staff have developed a document and tool, including a checklist, for transitions for children with autism. The sub-group will meet to review these documents. Review of Special Education Advisory Committee Report a. Report 7, 25 June 2014 Moved by Beth Doubt, THAT Special Education Advisory Committee Report 7, dated 25 June 2014, be received. Chris Ellis asked that the minutes be amended on Folio 8 to include his request for SEAC to be given criteria for evaluating the success of congregated classrooms, and a timeline for when that evaluation will take place. Moved by Beth Doubt, THAT Special Education Advisory Committee Report 7, dated 25 June 2014, be received, as amended. - Carried Special Education Advisory Committee 3 17 September 2014

4 b. Business Arising, Status of Motions/Reports The Committee reviewed each item on the Motion Tracking Action Report. The following changes were noted: An additional column should be added to the report, titled Concerned Agents. This will reflect the affected organization, which will aid organizations in tracking items which affect them, despite changes in committee representation; The item dated 28 May 2014 can be removed as it has been addressed; The item dated 30 January 2013 can be removed as it has been addressed; Add an item dated 28 May 2014, that Ms. Doubt requested that Section J of the Special Education report include a breakdown by exceptionality and by class of IPRC students. The action agent is O. Grigoriev; Add an item requested by Mr. Ellis: Parents do not have support teachers for transition planning, therefore what support is available to parents now and what will be done in the future. A course of action to be put in place in January 2015 to increase parents capacity to participate in transition planning. 6. c. Review of Long Range Agenda The following change was noted: Add Special Education Report Review to the November items. Presentation 7. a. Learning Support Consultants Transitions Staff presented information on the development of transition plans, including a revised transition plan form for students with and without Individual Education Plans (IEP). Committee members had the following comments and suggestions: There is a need to enhance staff capacity, in order to implement transition plans; Input on the transition guide would be helpful for staff; Staff need to communicate that the same template will be used for all exceptionalities; and Development of a guide or checklist to assist parents in becoming engaged in the process would be helpful. Department Update Staff presented a Learning Support Services work plan, noting that a number of initiatives span several areas. The work plan is in the planning stages, and links to the superintendency IPRCs. Special Education Advisory Committee 4 17 September 2014

5 Superintendent Grigoriev advised that more information will be provided at the next SEAC meeting in October in the following areas: Information on a performance measures review; An IEP review; A waitlist review for programs and services; and A summer learning program review will be provided. Superintendent Grigoriev added that in the spring, information on the intermediate Learning Disabilities program, program evaluation, and e-learning opportunities will be provided. Members discussed several areas where work is ongoing, including the Early Years Department; collaboration between Curriculum Services and Learning Support Services towards improving the graduation rate; collaboration between social work and psychology staff; and an increased focus on mental health promotion. Staff reported that there is a waitlist of 50 students for elementary LD spaces, and 38 vacancies for secondary LD spaces across the District. 8. SEAC Committee Reports a. Advisory Committee on Equity Beth Doubt will no longer be the SEAC representative on ACE. The SEAC representative on ACE will be discussed at the next meeting. b. Communications Sub-Committee There was no information provided on this sub-committee. c. Committee of the Whole Mark Wylie will continue to cover Committee of the Whole meetings on behalf of SEAC, with Beth Doubt as an alternate d. Board Meeting Rob Kirwan will continue to cover Board meetings on behalf of SEAC. New Business There was no new business. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:36 p.m. Rob Kirwan Chair, Special Education Advisory Committee Special Education Advisory Committee 5 17 September 2014