Parents of special-needs students left reeling by threat of closures
Vancouver Sun
November 1, 2010
By Denise Ryan

…. Queen Alexandra, located in one of Vancouver's most socially and economically vulnerable neighbourhoods, may be shut down at the end of the school year as part of the Vancouver school board's effort to deal with a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.

A closure would mean the end of the on-site licensed aftercare program that services Andrew and 25 other kids.

Niki Rayment, Andrew's mother, is reeling.

"It took me a year to get him into a school with daycare on the same site. The options are more difficult because of Andrew's autism," she said.

Rayment, a single mother who works at Vancouver General Hospital, said her job will be in jeopardy if Andrew is moved to a school without the kind of aftercare he needs.

"How can I work and also look after him? I may lose my home. I have some serious choices to make," she said.

"I feel helpless about what the future will hold. We'll be undoing two years of hard work and adjustment."

Community schools and onsite daycares for before and after school care are essential services, said NDP MLA Jenny Kwan….

"The implication of school closures is greater than what meets the eye," said Kwan.

Queen Alexandra also has an aboriginal enhancement agreement, providing support to aboriginal families.

Loren Breland's seven-year-old daughter Coral depends on the security and stable sense of community she gets from Queen Alexandra and its on-site child care at Cedar Cottage.

"She has emotional challenges," said Breland, "and she was totally accepted here. We are aboriginal and Queen Alexandra offers inclusive staffing and aboriginal support. It's a very important aspect of this community."

The proposed closures at Queen Alexandra and Sir Guy Carleton will mean a loss of 55 licensed child care spaces.

"This isn't just education," said Kwan. Community members are also concerned about the large school being boarded up and abandoned, becoming a blight in an already vulnerable area.

The closure of Queen Alexandra, said Kwan, will only save $300,000.

The 200 students at Queen Alexandra and 380 students at Carleton will be "dispersed" to 13 other schools next year if the closures go through.

No provision will be made for transferring into child care spots. Not all schools have onsite before and after care, and waiting lists are generally very long.

The ripple effect, especially of displacing children with special needs, is huge, said Kwan.

"To be faced with this loss, and no options, is that what we want for our children and our community?" asked Kwan….