Cutting parents out of schools hurts kids, survey confirms

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Education Critic Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West–Nepean) and Shadow Minister with responsibility for the Ontario Autism Program Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale–High Park) respond to a new Ontario Autism Coalition survey confirming what families have been saying all along: cutting parents and communities out of education hurts kids.

“Parents and families need someone in their corner,” said Pasma. “Instead of putting our kids first, Ford and Calandra are playing political games with their future and cutting parents out of our schools. Ontario Autism Coalition’s survey confirms what parents and advocates have been a saying all along: cutting families and communities out of education hurts vulnerable kids the most.

“Just this past year, 102,051 children with disabilities relied on their locally elected trustee to get support. Now, Calandra is putting inexperienced political insiders in charge of our schools and leaving parents with no one to turn to. Instead of fixing the mess that Ford’s cuts have caused in our schools, Minister Calandra is running distraction. Let’s focus on what matters: the future of our kids.”

“With 60,000 kids waiting years for autism supports, school trustees are often the only lifeline families have to keep their children safely in school,” added Gilmour. “They work with families to make sure schools are accountable, help families navigate barriers, and ensure kids aren’t left behind. Cutting them means silencing families, abandoning students, and denying children with disabilities their right to learn. Every child deserves a classroom, and every family deserves to be heard. The Ford government must reverse course—Ontario’s children cannot afford this mistake.”

BACKGROUND:

• Ontario Autism Coalition’s survey was sent to parents across the province
• It shows that across 64 school boards at least 102,051 students were helped by a trustee this past school year
• 19,376 students were excluded from classrooms / missed out on school altogether due to lack of resources and support available