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Halton Hills | Thursday, March 3, 2022 | 18 BB NEWS CONCERNS RAISED OVER PROPOSED DOWNLOADING OF STUDENT SUPPORTS PARENTS, STAFF FEEL MOVE WOULD = m qQ =I = m ce Es > oO + & VULNERABLE YOUTH 2 KATHY YANCHUS theifp.ca kyanchus@metroland.com Provincial revisions to if trict School Board (HDSB) have left parents and staff reeling fro! ie" re and | "negative implica- tion: January, Mini: ter pee Education Stephen Lecce outlined the govern- ment's draft plan to down- load medical services to education staff this fall. This move would havea education, during a pre- sentation for the board's Special Education Adviso- ry Committee (SEAC) in early Febru s to the current Pp tions about risk manage- ment, lawsuits, union partners and additional funding during the Feb. 16 HDSB trustees meeting. ee mrently, staff from Kids provide complex medical support is tube feeding and. eaten, tion — to medically fragile students. Under the pro- posed plan, such responsi- bilities would fall to staff, as "delegated by a health- care professional" reads thee confidential ministry “Should the revised Po ley, known as PPM 81, g forward, "in all likelihood, these tasks would fall to our EAs (educational as- sistants) to provide the services,” said Ruddock. "It is unbelievable tome that the ministry would recommend that we actu- ally remove _ trained health-care professionals who currently come into our schools and provide support to our medically fragile s siudents and stu- den: ith various edi cal te uations and pt this incredible eoket bility onto our education: al assistants who already have a great deal of work and responsibility," com- mented Oakville ‘trustee Joanna Oliver. sure that students with “medical supports have access to an EA, there would be a redistri- bution of EAs, which will draw from the service available to students with significant special educa- tion needs, said Ruddock. The government pro- posalis ethically and mor- ally inappropriate, said Alison Brindle, chair of vindows, Over ENG an Des} xperience Matters PERFECT CONDO This Is It The Condo You Were Looking For, All ize And You Don’t Have To Wait For Construction! ardins & ean Jar 1989 Broker Yvan Desjardins REMAX Country > 905-877-6161 ‘Sountry Clases td, Brokerage (ENTRY OWNED AND OPERATED. Graham Paine/ Metroland MARGO SHUTTLEWORTH HDSB's SEAC. Inher response letter to Lecce, Brindle references revisions that would allow medical professionals to delegate th tas] non-medical ‘staff, ate ioe the system to require edu- cational assistants to un- dertake services which are not in their job de- scriptions, they have not been medically trained for and which may impact the life of a studen Staffalso envision ineq- uity in service as some families may hire private healtheare professionals for OT, physiotherapy and ose. language therapy, potentially disrupting a schoolcommunity as prin- cipals make attempts to this tal day-to-day and life-sav- ing services to students, it deserves a deeper discus- sion and analysis," said feedback to Lecce. Shuttleworth also ad- dressed the "lack of addi- tional funding" to cover the sweeping changes. “If educational assis- tants will be oo ore from the classrooms wide medical care a ‘students, and administrators re- quired to oversee private widers in school settings, and ensure com- plial regula- tions, es aditional ‘salt will be required to undertake existing tasks," stated Shuttleworth. Staff are not healthcare providers, and principals are Rua in the business of itheare professionals, said Milton trustee Heather Gerrits. “We are educators; we are in the business of edu- cating. I'm very disap- pointed that this would even be put in writing." INPUT SOUGHT FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET ied an enontnict School icourag- ing eadete stalf 4 and the community to provide input on budget priorities in the development of the 2022- 2023 budget. Interested indi- viduals can do so online by Year Plan 2020-2024, Special Education Plan and tional Plan. A key objective of the annual budget pro- cess is toalign the: HDSBSsh fi- resources these documents. ie] are also able to delegate to to the board of trustee: follow the s ieeenerit By. law" posted on the HDSB website. Please Visit Travelalerts.ca for fresh travel content, exclusive tips and more! Choice Awards. what they do, On Help make your favourite local business become a Georgetown Independent & Free Press Readers’ Choice. Start nominating now at theifp.ca/readerschoice NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN It’s in your hands. make sure your favourite business or professional is nominated for the Georgetown Independent & Free Press 2022 Readers’ The Georgetown Independent & Free Press Readers’ Choice Awards were created so you can tell us which local businesses and service providers are the best at ce the nominations close on March 14, 2022 the nominees will be shortlisted and you will have the chance to vote for your favourite, THE INDEPENDENT ssa on ass PY) wa 6° °