‘No plans’ to close schools for special needs students: Ontario
Posted Aug 8, 2016 01:28:34 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Ontario says there are no plans to close residential schools for special needs students, but the Liberal government won’t say if that is a permanent decision.
Parents protested after the government halted admissions for this fall while it consulted on the future of the schools in Belleville, Milton, Ottawa and London for students who are deaf, blind or have severe learning disabilities.
In response, the province said this spring that it would resume the admissions process for the schools for the 2016-17 school year, but wouldn’t guarantee their future beyond that.
The government has announced in a news release today that it would keep all of the schools open, but when asked whether that meant permanently or just for the upcoming school year, a spokeswoman would only say there are no plans to close the schools.
It also says that “intensive reading intervention projects” will be introduced in school boards as a pilot project.
A reference group will also be established “to provide guidance and input on strengthening supports for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
