Regional Centres for Education cutting supports to students with exceptionalities to save money: parents, union

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Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by Business Wire Regional Centres for Education cutting supports to students with exceptionalities to save money: parents, unionAuthor of the article:HALIFAX, NS — CUPE School Support workers have learned that recent layoffs of Educational Program Assistants may be tied to a directive from the province to reassess the support needs of students already receiving assistance.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountShelley McNeil, president of CUPE Local 5047, Halifax Regional Centre for Education, says more than 50 educational program assistants were laid off this fall after being told there was no work for them to do.“It was odd, because these redundancies are happening even though the needs are not decreasing. From what I can tell, the needs are continuing to rise,” said McNeil.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Robin Gushue, whose fifteen-year-old daughter has cerebral palsy and requires full-time support, says she suspected there may have been an attempt behind the scenes to reduce the number of support workers assigned to her daughter.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againGushue had received an unusual email in September from her daughter Olivia’s Learning Centre teacher, who she says wanted access to her daughter’s care plan. Gushue says she was surprised by the request. “Olivia needs to be accompanied at all times while she’s in school. She has a full-time support worker and that support worker is always replaced when they take a break. If Olivia needs help being transferred to or from her wheelchair, she always has two support workers available to assist her. That’s been the case from day one, since we moved to Nova Scotia almost ten years ago. I can’t imagine why they’d need to see the safety plan unless they were looking to reduce her supports.”Gushue has heard stories from other families who have been confronted with support reductions after their children were reassessed and deemed ineligible for services they had received just last year.McNeil says CUPE has filed a Freedom of Information Request with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to find out what prompted these reassessments. She says parents deserve to hear the truth directly from Minister Brendan Maguire. “Every student in this province has the right to a quality public education. Minister Maguire needs to explain to parents why these critical supports are being taken from their children.”View source version on businesswire.com: For more information please contact: This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.