Fourteen-year-old Evie Kleiman lives with a rare genetic disorder known as Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), which has left her non-verbal and not able to listen to or follow commands. As a result, she needs special care while at school and now that is at risk.
Evie’s father, Ron, and other parents at Lucy McCormick Senior School have come together to raise concerns with the Toronto District School Board for not following regulations mandating a maximum class size of six students with multiple exceptionalities and complex care needs. They feel the board is actively pursuing reductions in special education classes and increases in size.
“There’s a huge safety concern. She needs one-on-one, she needs somebody to be with her at every second. So, very vulnerable,” said Ron Kleiman.
Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof’s son Lucas has a rare genetic epilepsy with uncontrollable seizures and severe autism. While she says the work being done at the school is excellent, she and others believe they have even more reason to be upset.
“I’m outraged, and I’m very sad, and I would say part of the reason why I think more people need to know what is possible with proper support. And students like this shouldn’t be written off,” she said.
A recent survey sent out to TDSB parents across the board asks how best it might reduce spending to deal with a budget deficit. Within that, one of the areas listed for consideration was special education.
“The TDSB is trying to put their thumb on the scale by putting this question out there,” said Kleiman.
In a statement provided to CityNews, the TDSB says, “Staffing allocations are based on the Ministry of Education’s core education funding, legislative requirements such as class size requirements, and the TDSB’s financial realities.”
Based on that, the board confirms Lucy McCormick Senior School will have one less teacher next year and says the school will still be above staffing levels.
Evie and Lucas’ families care to disagree.
The issue, of course, isn’t limited to the TDSB; other school boards and special interest groups have said there is a lack of funding. The Ford government says there are investments taking place, and it’s the boards that are mismanaging the funds. All the while, the families and the students are the ones caught in the middle.
