Bleak picture of a system in crisis: NDP calls for more special education funding

QUEEN’S PARK - In response to the new Ontario Autism Coalition survey report on special education, Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Education Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West-Nepean) and Shadow Minister for the Ontario Autism Program Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale-High Park), released the following statement:

“The data in this report paints a bleak picture of a system in crisis,” said MPP Pasma. “Children with disabilities are not getting the safe, supported, meaningful education that they deserve. These kids are bearing the brunt of eight years of repeated funding cuts by the Ford government that simply does not care about their well-being or their learning.

“School boards are spending hundreds of millions of dollars more on special education than they’re getting from the Ford government for a system that’s failing our kids badly – and yet the Minister wouldn’t even commit to eliminating the deficit in special education when I asked him to on Monday.”

“Ontario has already seen two heartbreaking tragedies due to the failures of special education,” said MPP Gilmour. “We don’t want any more families to have to experience what Landyn Ferris and Max Simao’s families have gone through.

“Tens of thousands of kids across the province aren’t at school full-time because there aren’t enough resources to keep them safe, and learning. Far too many families are worrying about their child’s safety at school. Every child deserves to be at school every day, and every child should come home safely at the end of the day.”