Ontario to look into school exclusions of children with autism

Caroline Alphonso, Education reporter, The Globe and Mail, March 13, 2019
The Ontario government will examine the issue of students with complex needs being excluded from school after demands from disability advocates that the practice be halted. The issue of indefinite exclusions from school has been top-of-mind for many parents as Doug Ford’s government implements changes to the province’s autism program. Families who currently receive full funding for intensive therapy will receive only a fraction of it after April 1, when funding will be distributed based on a child’s age and household income. School districts have said they are expecting a number of children with complex needs who were on modified schedules to attend full-time if their parents cannot make up for the lost funding. The Ministry of Education said in its release on Monday that it would also survey school boards regularly to assess the impact of increased school enrolment and attendance by children and youth with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) as they transition into the school system.