THE BOARD'S CONSULTATION PROCESS

 

Purpose of the Standard
To provide the ministry and the public with information on the board's philosophy and service-delivery model for the provision of special education programs and services.

Requirement of the Standard
The school board's special education plan must outline in detail the board's general philosophy and service-delivery model for the provision of special education programs and services. The board's special education plan must be designed to comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Education Act and regulations made under the act, and any other relevant legislation. The board must include a statement in the plan confirming that the plan has been designed in accordance with requirement.

Description of the Board's Consultation Process
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board’s philosophy of Special Education is based on ongoing collaboration with all stakeholders. The Board’s Special Education delivery of services and programs, as well as the processes reflect the commitment to collaboration and continuous gathering of feedback for Identification, Placement and Review (IPRC) and the development of the Individual Education Plan (IEP). This informal on-going consultation with parents, staff, students and community partners represents a major component in the Board’s consultation process.

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) provides the second major component of the Board’s Consultation Process. Opportunities for informal and continuous consultation with SEAC occur at each SEAC meeting during which presentations are made about special education programs and services, feedback is requested and issues are discussed and addressed. (Refer to SEAC Agenda and Minutes in this section)

The SEAC is involved in the following activities:

• Ongoing review of special education programs and services through presentations and updates at SEAC meetings
• Participating in Ministry of Education training opportunities
• Ongoing discussions about the Standards for School Board’s Special Education Plans
• Reporting on the results of the consultation process and making related recommendations to the Special Education Plan
• Ongoing discussion at SEAC meetings regarding the development of the Board’s Special Education Plan
• Updated regarding staffing levels, as well as budget revenue and expenditure
• Providing recommendations regarding staffing levels and budget revenue and expenditures
• Updated regarding Special Education funding, budget and staffing
• Approving the Board Special Education Plan
• Recommending to the Board that the Special Education Plan be approved

Formal consultation with SEAC will occur through the early and continuous communication regarding the Ministry of Education “ Standards for School Board’s Special Education Plans”. Annually, SEAC makes a series of recommendations related to programs and services which direct activities and initiatives for the following school year. An annual report is provided to the SEAC on the progress of these recommendations (Section 3).

The SEAC has formulated and directed a plan for strategic formalized review of programs and services in the area of Special Education. The process for reviewing program and services encompasses feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders including principals, teachers, program resource teachers, educational assistants, paraprofessional and professional staff, as well as parents, students and community associations. Recent research in best practice is reviewed and incorporated in forming the recommendations for best practice.

This year the SEAC was proactively involved in reviews of programs and services for students with giftedness (Section 4) and programs and services for exceptional students in secondary schools (Section 5).

The third component of the Board's Consultative Process is to allow for greater interface and direct communication with individuals, the community and stakeholders. With the support and direction of the SEAC, a section of the St. Clair District School Board Web site at www.st-clair.net is dedicated to Special Education. It allows the community to have direct access to information on the Special Education programs and services of the board and allows direct communications with board staff and SEAC members via e-mail.