Ontario Autism Coalition wants to find out how often students with special needs are sent home

The Ontario Autism Coalition is surveying parents of children with special needs about school exclusions.

A school exclusion occurs when a child with special needs is sent home because the school is not able to meet their needs.

Sara Kitlar-Pothier, a member of the coalition's board of directors and the mother of a child with autism in Sudbury, Ont., said the province does not have data on school exclusions.

"We've asked for the information. They have none," she said.

"So we need this information to highlight how often this is happening to families. it's a matter of access to our children's right to education."

NDP MPP Chandra Pasma has spearheaded the survey. Once they get their responses, Kitlar-Pothier said the coalition plans to share the information with the legislature and media.

Pasma said she has brought up the issue of school exclusions during question period, but Education Minister Stephen Lecce has never addressed the problem directly.

"Every time I do that he just talks about high level funding numbers," she said.

"He has not addressed the fact that these exclusions are taking place within the province."

Pasma said she has heard from parents across Ontario that their children with special needs were excluded from class because there weren't enough educational assistants that day to help them.

Different levels of support

Kitlar-Pothier said her son has never been sent home, but she added not all parents are so lucky.

She said her son is in an intensive support program where there are more staff available to support the students.

"But not every school is like that. Not every board is like that," she said.

Kitlar-Pothier said cuts to specialized classrooms have disrupted learning for many children with special needs.

"It makes me sad, it makes me frustrated, it makes me angry because our children deserve the same rights as any other children to access education," she said.

Ministry says it tracks exclusions

In an email to CBC News Grace Lee, a spokesperson for Lecce's office, said the provincial government has invested $3.4 billion in funding for special education.

"Which is at the highest level in Ontario's history," the email said.

"Since taking office in 2018, we have funded the addition of over 3,000 more educational assistants in schools, strengthened programs for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and increased professional development opportunities for educators."

Lee said school boards have been required to record student enrolment and attendance, including the total number of exclusions, since 2021.