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OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 2, 2009 · 4 Parents complain about short notice Continued from page 3 parents' preference. Students entering Grade 8 were given the option of staying and graduating at their home school, with additional help. "If there are four or more Grade 8 students who decided they want to stay at that school in order to graduate with their peers, we put in an additional half-time SERT (Special Education Resource Teacher)," Moffatt said. "A parent always has the option to go back to their home school." Joudrie said students, particularly those with learning disabilities, are being reallocated to classes that are more specific to their needs. "We have moved to a more focused model in terms of LD (learning disabilities)," he said at last week's meeting. "The (new) numbers are lower and there is a very strong mandate to develop skills and capacity through technology, as an example, to improve student performance in that area and get them back into the mainstream." Some community members, however, said there was not enough notice for the families impacted by this decision. "The manner in which these closures occurred was distressing," said Gunn. "Parents deserve to be informed about changes that are going to impact their chil- dren in advance of the final decision making. It is paramount that the involvement of these parents be part and parcel of your initial discussions when considering such closures. The mental health and well-being of students should also be considered when these changes are being implemented." Gunn said parents were informed of the changes though a letter sent home with students, which was not enough. "In the case of the recent closures, parents were informed via letters through the backpack, they were not even given the courtesy of discussions prior to being informed via the letter," she said. Holden also had concerns with the process that was followed in closing the nine classes. "We believe that the way these classes were closed has stomped on the due process rights of these families," Holden said. Moffatt said that conversations did occur with the majority of families before the letters were sent home with students. "In most situations, there were conversations with parents before the letter was ever sent," Moffatt said. Board staff said there is $500,000 in the special education contingency fund, allowing for any approved additional expenses to be covered if students aren't managing due to the changes for the 2009-10 school year. June 22nd to July 4th Sidewalk Sale 21st Annual Shirts $50 Reg. $100-$200 `ONCE IN A BLUE MOON' prices on a great selection of Shirts, Pants, Shorts & Shoes @ 50 bucks each! Pants & Shorts $50 Reg. $100-$200 Shoes $50 Reg. $100-$200 Joker Aces 50% Off 35% Off All our regular brands. No special buys. Just names you can trust! Jacks, Queens and 2s to 10s Kings 20% Off 30% Off Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10:00-7:00, Thurs. 10:00-9:00, Saturday 9:30-5:30 SAVE 20-50% SALES CONTINUES UNTIL JULY 4TH Dorval Crossing 300 North Service Rd. W. 905.338.0322 www.blazerformen.com