School has been back in for 2 1/2 days as I write this update in September of 2017. I wish I didn’t have too much to say but unfortunately it hasn’t been a super great week for some kids in BC schools.
What’s been happening, you say? Here is an incomplete list:
Parents are being asked to keep their children home in large numbers, while classes are organized and set, and often while EA’s are still being assigned and/or hired.
Parents have been told their child may only attend a portion of the day, sometimes as little as 1 hour, and sometimes temporarily but in some cases, for the entire year.
Parents have discovered that their children are not on track to graduate with a Dogwood – their program has shifted without consultation or explanation.
Students new to high school are already getting lost in the shuffle – their IEP accommodations have not been passed on to their new teachers, and assignments are not being approached with regard to their needs.
Parents have been told that assessments are on hold, or that their child will not even be recommended or waitlisted for one at this time.
Parents are already struggling with trying to hang on to their jobs as schools are calling them to pick up their child during the school day, because there are no supports available for them.
Parents are already being told that their children will be excluded from field trips, band, sports and other activities.
Parents, having been reassured before school started that the right supports would be available for their kids, have arrived at school to find that those supports are not there.
BCEdAccess 
Those stories are just unacceptable in BC, and I’m so sorry to hear they continue. I am hopefully this new BC Government will do better by children in BC, but without knowing the stories, these children may fall down the priority list; so thank you for raising what should be a high priority post-BCLiberals problem and injustice to fix.
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Sucks to hear we are not alone. Registered my son last June for a public school to start this September (we went to private last year – many reasons but one was that the public school he was at did not have resources for him). Provided his Psych Ed at registration, asked the school secretary to make a note of it. He’s had a rough first week and yesterday I was able to talk to his teacher. She doesn’t have his psych ed, told me if he was struggling it was okay for him to come to school for shorter days. She was very kind and I felt like she listened, but why isn’t there support there on day one? It shouldn’t be news to the school that they have X number of children that need accommodations and support the first week of school. And for my kid a few terrible days without support could take months to undo.
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