Schools may be allowed service and support animals in classrooms.
The Minister of Education Lisa Thompson spoke to MyParrySoundNow.com. She said Bill 48 is tabled and entails a piece of legislation that refers to “safe and supportive classrooms”. The bill allows the framework to ensure that school boards across the province have a consistent policy when it comes to supporting families that need special support for their child.
“We have heard from parents loud and clear from across this province that they have frustrations around the ability to support children with special needs. Parents are finding that there are inconsistent policies from one school board to another when it comes specifically to service dogs that need to support children.”
Today, only 39 of 72 school boards across Ontario have policies in place to address the need for service animals in schools, leaving students vulnerable and parents facing challenges to support their child’s special needs.
The proposed amendment would provide guidance on service animals to school boards when developing their own policies to ensure families of students with special needs experience a fair and transparent process when requesting that their children be able to bring a service animal to school.
As of August 31st, The Near North District School Board put forth administrative guidelines that consider service and support animals in classrooms. Should parents wish to support their child with an animal, an application can be made at the school level.
“With any accommodation request, there is no one-size- fits- all approach and we want to make sure we consider the unique needs of that individual and how best we can accommodate those needs,” said Mairghread Knought, Information Officer with the Near North District School Board
If this legislation is approved, all members of the public — including families, education partners, advocacy groups and community agencies — will have the opportunity to provide input on the policy directive that would be issued to boards.