The school district is considering revising its policy on how it delivers special education services to students in New Westminster, but the move has a local mother fearing a return to the days of segregation.
Wendy Harris, a past-president of the district's parent advisory council and school board critic, attended the board of education meeting on Oct. 29 to share her concerns about a draft policy that is in the early stages of review.
"As soon as I read the agenda, the alarm bells went off ...," Harris told the board.
She worries the new policy marks a return to the cascade model, which clusters students with special needs in a single classroom. It's something Harris - whose son is a special needs student at New Westminster Secondary School - said she was "emphatically" told by district administrators would not happen.
"But it looks like it is," she said. "I've seen parents ridiculed ... being labeled political, antagonistic ... and here we are today returning to a proposed cascade model in New Westminster," she said. "I'm one in a long list of people with concerns."
For Harris, a cascade model ultimately equates to segregation, and "you might as well ask for Woodlands to be open again," she said during her passionate address to the board.
But school trustees and a district staffer who weighed in were against any model that would segregate special needs students.
"I know for myself I don't support seclusion of our students," trustee MaryAnn Mortensen said.
"The intent (of the new policy) is to not change our inclusionary practice," Janet Grant, the district director of instruction, told the board. "That's always a goal that we strive toward - is our inclusionary practices."
Trustee Lisa Graham, who also has a special needs son, said Harris' concerns were "valid" and suggested the district sit down in a committee meeting and hammer out language in the draft policy to "assure people."
"So they actually look at what's presented and give it some thought with peace of mind," Graham said. "I'd rather workshop it at the committee. ... So when we send it out, it's really a group effort. Right now, I fully understand why parents have concerns."
Trustee Jonina Campbell noted that the new draft policy would bring the district into alignment with provincial regulations.
The district is slated to discuss the draft delivery of special education policy at its Nov. 19 committee meeting.
Currently, special needs students in the district are typically placed in mainstream classrooms, except in New Westminster Secondary School where it could be a combination of mainstream and special needs classes.
