Public Dates Set for Special Education Review
The Minister's Review of Services for Students with Special Needs will host a provincewide series of public meetings in April and May where parents, teachers and other interested parties can share their thoughts on special education programming and services in Nova Scotia.
"It is now just over 10 years since the province introduced its special education policy and this is a good time to measure our progress," said Education Minister Karen Casey.
The review could include but not be limited to such topics as teacher education, transition planning for 18- to 21-year-olds, inclusionary practices, integrated services and programming support as well as others that may be identified by the review committee.
Each public meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and to end by 9 p.m. They will be held at the following locations:
Tuesday, April 17 Berwick, Berwick and District School
Wednesday, April 18 Yarmouth, Yarmouth Memorial High School
Monday, April 23 Halifax, Halifax West High School
Tuesday, April 24 (bilingual) Dartmouth, École du Carrefour
Wednesday, April 25 Truro, Cobequid Educational Centre
Thursday, April 26 Bridgewater, Hebbville Academy
Monday, April 30 Port Hawkesbury, Strait Area Education Recreation Centre
Tuesday, May 1 Sydney, Sherwood Park Education Centre
Separate meetings will be held with school board members and staff.
On April 24, video conference facilities will be set up at École secondaire de Clare, La Butte and École Beau-Port, Arichat to link francophones elsewhere in the province with the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial public meeting in Dartmouth.
Anyone unable to attend a public meeting can participate in the review through http://ministersreview.ednet.ns.ca, by e-mail to [email protected] or by mailing a written submission to the Department of Education, Minister’s Review of Services for Students with Special Needs, Corporate Policy, P.O. Box 578, Halifax, N.S. B3J 2S9.
On April 10, an online response form will be available on the website.
The review committee will report its conclusions to the minister in June. The recommendations will be reviewed by staff and posted on the website at a later date.
The Department of Education announced the Minister's Review of Services for Students with Special Needs last fall and charged a three-member team to determine whether special education programming is achieving its desired results.
The Minister's Review of Services for Students with Special Needs team is chaired by retired school administrator Walter Farmer and includes former educator Miles MacDonald and Acadia University education professor Lynn Aylward.
About one in five students needs additional help at some time in their public school experience. This can range from a one-time assessment interview to ongoing support for students with long-term medical or health needs.
The Department of Education is investing $118 million in formula funding this year to support students with special needs. Since 2003-04, almost 175 resource teachers, speech language pathologists, school psychologists and other education professionals have been hired in the public school system.