Marie-Victorin School Board Loses Attempt to Force Child to Attend Special Class

Reevaluation of Special Needs Education in Quebec? 

South shore Montreal area parents who sued the Marie-Victorin School Board in 2006 have won their Human Rights Tribunal case against the board.

The parents, whose son attended regular classes for his first two years of schooling, were furious when, after evaluation by a school psychologist, the school board insisted that he then go into a special class for children with intellectual difficulties.

Please see this article by Gabrielle Duchaine in rue Frontenac (now archived at www.exruefrontenac.com) for a full report on the case.

The tribunal found that the school board had put their prerogative to group children appropriately for their own purposes, ahead of the boy's interests and his right to be treated equally. There is speculation that this ruling will force CSMV and other school boards in Quebec to re-evaluate their special needs policies from top to bottom.

From the point of view of parents with kids who have special needs this decision comes as welcome news. However, the counterpoint is that it becomes painfully obvious how the dysfunctional system permits five years of a childs' education to fly by while such a case bounces around on its way to a final ruling.

Quebec "coalition" for successful integration says inclusion has "gone way too far"

A new "Coalition for Successful Integration" of special needs kids in Quebec schools was launched recently and snagged headlines in the Montreal Gazette and elsewhere. The coalition is spearheaded by the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement, a teacher's union, and also includes the Association des pédiatres du Québec and the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec, as well as some individual members. The coalition is seeking support from the public.

The central idea of the coalition, according to its website, is that the integration of special needs kids in regular classrooms has gone much too far. (L’intégration dans les classes ordinaires des élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage (EHDAA) est allée beaucoup trop loin.)

The coalition's material frequently refers to the concept of inclusion (the term more often and probably more properly used in English, rather than "integration") as a "dogma".

The coalition's statement of principles includes such points as: Nous sommes persuadés que la décision d’inclure un élève à la classe ordinaire doit prendre en compte le meilleur intérêt de l’élève mais aussi l’impact de sa présence sur la réussite des autres élèves. In other words, the decision to include a student in a regular class must take into account the best interests of the student as well as the impact of their presence on the success of the other students.

Excusez-moi? That's only one of several statements that leaves one checking the year on the calendar to make sure we haven't somehow been returned to the 1950s. 

Most often this blog is presented from an objective perspective. But with all due respect, (and as much restraint as can be mustered) the ideas expressed in this declaration reflect extremely poorly on the professional associations / unions whose ideas are purportedly reflected here.

Not to mention, this coalition's commitment to an inclusive approach in general becomes embarrassingly apparent as one realizes that there is no English on the coalition website.

Stay tuned.

Integration in schools to be addressed in Oct. 25th "Partners in Education" meeting

The Quebec Minister of Education Leisure and Sport recently announced that the first meeting of a series entitled "Partners in Education" will address the topic of inclusion in schools and will be held Oct. 25.

Here is the portion of the press release relating to the integration of special needs kids in regular classrooms: 

 
LA MINISTRE LINE BEAUCHAMP ANNONCE LA TENUE D'UNE PREMIÈRE RENCONTRE DES PARTENAIRES EN ÉDUCATION
QUÉBEC, le 22 sept. 2010 /CNW Telbec/ - La ministre de l'Éducation, du
Loisir et du Sport, Mme Line Beauchamp, a annoncé aujourd'hui la tenue, le 25
octobre prochain, d'une première rencontre sur l'intégration des élèves
handicapés ou en difficulté d'adaptation ou d'apprentissage. «Ensemble, nous
allons faire le point sur la réussite des élèves handicapés ou en difficulté
d'adaptation ou d'apprentissage et leur intégration en classe ordinaire. Nous
allons réaffirmer les principes sur lesquels nos actions s'appuient,
identifier clairement les difficultés reliées à l'intégration de ces élèves,
nous entendre sur les ajustements à apporter et convenir des travaux à
réaliser», a déclaré la ministre.

La rencontre réunira des représentantes et représentants du personnel
enseignant, des directions d'école, de commissions scolaires, de différentes
associations, des parents et des partenaires ministériels. Un cahier du
participant servira à alimenter les discussions. 

There is no specific mention of who exactly is to participate in the meeting, whether or not it is public or the time and location.

It would certainly be interesting to get the supporting documents and try to get some indication from the organizers whether presentations are encouraged and what influence the public might expect to have by participating, if possible.