Making inclusive education a priority
Vancouver Sun
November 06, 2008
By Rory Summers, president of the British Columbia Association of Community Living.

Since the 1980s, students with developmental disabilities have had the right to attend regular classrooms in their neighbourhood schools, with appropriate supports. Research now shows that including students with special needs in regular classrooms benefits all students both academically and socially.

The B.C. Association for Community Living (BCACL) believes that the health of our public education system and the vitality of our democracy go hand in hand. And if public education is the foundation of our democracy, then there is no greater public trust than that of the office of school trustee.

As we approach municipal elections across the province, we are also given the opportunity to vote for our school trustees. School trustees and their boards of education are responsible for vital decisions: Establishing policies, setting budgets and priorities for the school district, communicating with government, employing staff and approving courses.

…. Despite the government's proclamations about education funding, the public education system has been threatened by reduced funding.

The gains that have been made in inclusive education for students with special needs are in danger of erosion.

We need school trustees who will stand up for the rights of students with specialized education needs to be educated in inclusive classrooms in their neighbourhood schools and address these vital issues.

We are concerned that:

- Class composition rules that limit the number of students with special needs in a classroom -- as legislated in Bill 33 -- have too often come at the expense of special needs students.

- Students with special needs are being excluded from classrooms and placed in resource rooms or staying at home because the education system is not providing them with the supports they need to be in school.

- There has been a systemic de-targeting of special education dollars over the years which has made it vulnerable to cutbacks.

Your involvement in the election of school trustees on Nov. 15 is important not because it will help one person win over another, but because it will help to make sure that the issue of high quality and inclusive education for all students is not ignored.

These elections offer a great opportunity to influence the education system locally and to educate both candidates and the public about inclusive education….