Protecting a fortress of idealism with children's lives.

The Minister's Review of Services for Students in Nova Scotia report was released a week ago and in it the panel recommended to scrap a program that was very important for many children in the province who have learning disabilities. Called the Tuition Support Program, it diverts a standard funding unit (approximately $6,200) the child's local public school to a private school.

I, along with many parents and professionals are very disappointed to say the least with.

Many people who attended input sessions around the province talked passionately about how their child suffered and failed in public school, yet succeeded in a small class private setting. They asked and begged the review committee to understand this. EEANS showed them evidence that children where thriving. Yet the panel chose not to look at special education needs from a child point of view, but instead from high up in their fortress.

There are a few reasons I think the review panel and the Department of Education included the recommendation to scrap the Tuition Support Program.

1. Children who receive education at a Designated Special Education Private School do well. They thrive. This is very embarrassing for the department and school boards.

2. The department thinks that letting parents divert their funding unit to a Designated Special Education Private School will lead to parents of non LD children to want the same right to send their child to a private school.

3. The union is well represented in the department of education. Protect the union at at all costs. Enrollment is down so they want every child they can get and the money that comes with them.

4. The Department of Education actually believes they can service 100% of all educational needs of our children. They must be much better than the department of Health, who sends patients out of province regularly for specialized services they cannot provide in province.

5. They can't offer the TSP in every corner of the province. OK, so let's scrap heart operations or MRI's on the same basis.

The fact is the department and their review panel suffer from a disability as well. A listening disability.

The report refuses to deal with the merits of why the program is literally saving the lives of students and why it is working and simply says they do not think it is appropriate. I guess it is better to have children fail in the public school system then it is to succeed at Bridgeway or Landmark. This is more about egos, pride and professional arrogance then it is about children. This recommendation sacrifices the children's future on the altar of someones trumpeted up view of what is or is not "appropriate" for the public school system.

The day when the public school system appropriately meets the needs of severe and moderate learning disabled students in a appropriate environment and where they can succeed is the day the tuition support program will cease to have any relevance, it will sunset itself. Parents will have no need or desire to spend the other half of private school tuition cost.

The department has used a smoke screen issue. It has said many times that they support the "Inclusion philosophy". Who doesn't? Their definition of inclusion is all children "must go to a public school!" when in fact it is "all children should have the right to attend public school".

The Department of Education will try to imply to the general public that to continue with the Tuition Support Program would put "Inclusion" in jeopardy. This is false and very dirty pool. The children who attend a private school are in an inclusive setting. They are accepted by their peers. They are in a safe and caring environment. They are learning and laughing with other children.

We have some beautiful fortresses in Nova Scotia, and one very old ugly one.

Brian Hickling
Vice Chair
Equal Education Association of Nova Scotia