Elementary and secondary education

School inclusion is both a philosophy and a set of pedagogical practices designed to allow each student to feel valued, confident and safe, so that they can reach their full potential. It is based on a system of values and beliefs centred on the well-being of the child, fostering active participation in learning and school life as well as a sense of belonging, enriching social development and positive interaction with peers and the school community.²

Children live in a healthy, stigma-free environment that fosters self-esteem and acceptance of others.³

According to the 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report: Inclusion and education: all means all, programs need to focus on tackling entrenched views that certain students are deficient and unable to learn. School leaders need to be trained to build and promote an inclusive school ethos.⁴

Recommendations

The practice of resource accessibility in inclusive education includes:

• Ensuring faculty and support staff have access to models of diversity.
• The adaptation of educational services by the Centre de services scolaire (CSS) to the specific needs of handicapped students and students with social maladjustments or learning disabilities (special needs students), based on an assessment of their abilities (section 235 of the Education Act).⁴
• Ensuring teachers have full access to training on different teaching methods so that they are well equipped to meet the needs of all students.

According to section 4.3 of the Special Education Policy, various entities of the school organization have powers and responsibilities to ensure the accessibility of resources. One of these organizations is the Special Needs Advisory Committee, which can directly advise the school board on various matters. The school team, in a spirit of shared responsibility, also has a duty to facilitate access to information and resources. Parents and students have the right to access the necessary resources.

Recommendations

The practice of resource accessibility in inclusive education includes:

• Ensuring that parents’ voices are heard by the Special Needs Advisory Committee so that they can express the needs, challenges, expectations and concerns of their children and other parents, and that these concerns are addressed by the school board.
• Identifying and implementing means or strategies to make all relevant information easily accessible to parents of special needs students in order to support them in their child’s academic journey (section 4.3.3 of the Special Education Policy).
  Respecting the right of special needs students to defend their needs and to actively participate in meetings in the development of their intervention plan. (section 4.8)
• Reviewing the entire funding and organization model for special need student services. In June 2022, the Ombudsperson identified three priorities: providing services based on students’ actual needs (rather than available budgets), establishing a minimum threshold for services, and encouraging coordinated action and collaboration among stakeholders.⁵

Recommendations

The practice of accessibility in school team/family collaboration includes:

• Recognizing parents’ skills and experience, making sure that they feel respected and that their role with their child is recognized and valued.⁷ According to the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec, parental engagement promotes student success and helps promote public education.
• Implementing specific support measures for students with disabilities.
• Creating and managing a unit for parents and legal guardians of students with disabilities or experiencing difficulties at school where they can have their concerns addressed.
• Encouraging school participation in the National Parental Engagement in Education Week (SNEP).
  Informing parents of their right to access their child’s confidential file with the school board, following established procedures. They also have a duty to contribute to the information recorded therein.

In Québec, the Regulation respecting road vehicles used for the transportation of school children stipulates that only a school bus or minibus (10 or more occupants) or a vehicle intended to transport students (4 to 9 occupants) may be used to transport students to and from school.⁸

Under the Highway Safety Code, the Regulation respecting road vehicles adapted for the transportation of handicapped persons regulates the transportation of persons with disabilities in minibuses and buses to ensure their safety while taking into account their specific needs.⁹

Recommendations

The practice of accessibility in school transportation includes:

• Using geolocation applications to reduce waiting times for regular and adapted school transportation. The MTransport app, for example, enables bus tracking, identification of students with special needs, communication of delays or cancellations, and peace of mind for parents and guardians.
• Training school transportation drivers to promote safe, caring and effective interventions for special needs students. This training is provided by the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec.
• Ensuring the continuity of school transportation services for students with disabilities by providing, where necessary, an additional support resource and/or equipment to ensure passenger safety.
• Continuing the efforts to improve the education of students with disabilities is paramount, with a focus on inclusion, teacher training and the allocation of adequate resources. An inclusive school environment benefits not only students with disabilities, but also the entire educational community.