Recommendations to Board from SEAC:
1. Budget Approval that the funding currently allocated to Special Education at least be maintained, and the funding be exempt from any reduction during the Board’s 2019/2020 budgetary process;
2. That annually, prior to the beginning of the budget cycle, SEAC receive a detailed timeline of the steps in the budget process, estimated dates and pre-requisite steps identified;
3. Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Freedom of Information Request (FOIR) Exclusions that staff be asked to provide SEAC with a copy of the template letter created for school principals to adapt and send to parents/guardians in cases where Section 265(1)(m) of the Education Act has been invoked.
4. That the Board direct staff to provide a report with respect to the following Items and report back to Board:
*Whether the exclusions listed were documented as "safety" exclusions or "disciplinary" exclusions, in light of page 5 of the Report, excerpted below:
"The Annual Safe School Report is directly linked to Safe School Legislation. However, Safety Exclusions under 265 (1)m of the Education Act are not tracked by the Safe School department as they are not associated with Safe Schools legislation; nor is there any requirement for the Board to report those to the Ministry of Education. Safety exclusions are not considered disciplinary and also include Police exclusions which school Principals are mandated to adhere to until an active police investigation is complete. In any event, there is an expectation that the student will return to a school of the TCDSB. Exclusions are thus not a metric that is linked to the Safe Schools Annual Report. Instead, Safety Exclusions deal with programming alternatives that support a successful academic and social-emotional transition back to a school." (p. 5);
*Whether the students with the listed exclusions had a history of discipline issues prior to the exclusion, including but not limited to warnings, suspensions and expulsions;
*The subcategory of students listed as excluded from December 2013 to and including February 2016 as follows: (i) students not in receipt of Special Education services; (ii) students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP); (iii) by exceptionality (using the Ministry’s 14 categories of exceptionalities); and (iv) whether the exclusion was due to police direction/court order or the principal's discretion;
*Whether the parents/guardians of the students listed as excluded were provided with a Written Appeal Hearing Policy and/or procedure (the "Policy") regarding the Appeal Hearing Information identified in the chart, and if so (i) to provide a copy of the Policy to SEAC; and (ii) to advise whether the Policy is publicly available on the school Board's website and, if so, to provide a copy of the web page;
*The number of students excluded from March 2016 up to and including December 2018, subcategorized as follows: (i) students not in receipt of Special Education services; (ii) students with an IEP; (iii) by exceptionality (using the Ministry’s 14 categories of exceptionalities); (iv) whether the exclusion was due to police direction/court order or the principal's discretion; and (v) whether the excluded students had a history of discipline issues prior to the exclusion, including but not limited to warnings, suspensions and expulsions;
*Whether the TCDSB has a written policy and/or procedure on when and for how long the Board and/or principal may exclude a student under Section 265(1)(m) of the Education Act, and, if so, (i) to provide a copy of the Policy to SEAC; and (ii) to advise whether the Policy is publicly available on the school Board's website and, if so, to provide a copy of the web page;
*How a teacher marks a student absent for attendance when the student has been excluded from school for all or part of a school day; and
*Where and with what service provider(s) an excluded student continues to receive access to their education and uninterrupted learning during the period of exclusion and for how long, i.e. how many hours of academic instruction per day.