PRESS RELEASE: INCLUSION SASKATCHEWAN AND INCLUSION CANADA OUTRAGED AT GOVERNMENT OF SASKATCHEWAN’S ANNOUNCED EXPANSION OF SEGREGATED CLASSROOMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 29, 2024

REGINA, SK – People with disabilities are shocked and outraged by the Government of Saskatchewan’s plan to expand its Specialized Support Classroom Pilot Project – a euphemism for segregation.

On November 25, Minister of Education Everett Hindley announced that their specialized support classrooms pilot would expand from 8 to 200 classrooms over the next 4 years. While the program is designed for students with ‘disruptive behaviours,’ this is a meaningless catchall phrase that will remove 3000 students, including those with an intellectual or developmental disability from their peers’ friends and classmates and forcibly segregate them.

Inclusion Saskatchewan and its national ally, Inclusion Canada, have publicly opposed expanding segregated classrooms from the start. There is over 60 years of research evidence attesting to the positive value of inclusive education and the harmful effects of segregation.

“In expanding this program, our government is moving backwards, ignoring the fact that inclusive classrooms are better for every student,” says Christina Martens-Funk, CEO of Inclusion Saskatchewan, “Since the start of the school year, we have been approached by many families whose children are being excluded from school. They are afraid that if they don’t accept a placement in a segregated program, their child will not be able to attend school at all.” 

The move comes as the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) begins binding arbitration. Class size and complexity have been the main issue. What should be on the table is how to provide support to teachers, students, and classrooms so that all children learn together. We should not be sacrificing students with disabilities by excluding them from the very environments - regular classrooms – where they thrive.

“I cannot overstate our disappointment with this announcement,” says Krista Carr, Executive Vice President of Inclusion Canada, “The research is clear; children who are segregated in school are much more likely to be segregated in life. In expanding this program, the Government of Saskatchewan is telling students, parents, and educators alike that they have no interest in ensuring successful outcomes for students with disabilities.”

The right to inclusive education is guaranteed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a document which Canada signed in 2007 and ratified in 2010. As outlined in Article 24, the Government of Saskatchewan has an obligation to provide students with disabilities an inclusive education. Segregation is rejection, a reflection of the prejudice that is inherent in ableism.

“When I was in elementary school I was segregated simply because I did different work than the others as it was seen as disruptive to the other students,” says Dan, a self-advocate from Saskatchewan, “Whatever the government is considering as disruptive behaviour is often a way of communicating as a student may not have the skills to communicate in another way. It’s sad that this is part of the provincial government’s way of “helping” and making life better for people with disabilities.”

People with disabilities, their families, and allies will rally and fight this human rights violation. Inclusion Saskatchewan continues to meet with Ministry of Education officials and MLAs to explain the harmful effects of segregation, while advocating for inclusive education and additional supports for classrooms and teachers.

The evidence is clear – supporting the expansion of segregated schooling in Saskatchewan’s classrooms will harm all children, not just children with disabilities. Inclusion Saskatchewan and Inclusion Canada call on the Government of Saskatchewan to halt this expansion plan and immediately prioritize investments in inclusive education. The time to change course is now.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Marc Muschler, Senior Communications Officer

416-661-9611 ext. 232

mmuschler@inclusioncanada.ca

About Inclusion Canada

Inclusion Canada is a nationwide community that champions the rights and inclusion of individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, allies, and local associations across Canada. The organization is committed to creating an inclusive Canada where everyone, regardless of intellectual capability, is valued and fully engaged in community life.