Our school board has thirteen schools; ten have DD (developmental delay) rooms. The teacher and EA’s are amazing in the NLSS DD room.  They have created an incredible program, where the ten students in the class are engaged in a great in-school coop program.  The DD students are learning life skills, work in a Goodwill store within the school, are welcomed by their “typical” peers, and are gaining skills to get them employment upon graduation.  It’s a great place to start.    Five of our schools in our board used funding through Community Living (who were given a one time grant), where the money was spent to get these kids coop placements in their communities.  Our school had a 100% employment rate!  The program ran for three or four years.  Two years ago was the last year this program ran.  When the funding dried up, the board said they did not have the funds to keep this program running.  They said it was not sustainable. 

I was appalled that the board could let this happen.  I was assured by our spec ed coordinator that getting the community-based coop program up and running was a “top priority”.  Yet, here it is, a year and a half later since the program was canceled, the board is finally putting together a committee.  The spec ed superintendent has not been out to any of the schools to see how the DD rooms run.  Only some of the trustees knew that lack of coop was an issue.  SEAC hadn’t heard anything about it.  There is still no time line.

The board’s position is that community-based coop is not mandatory, not a compulsory subject, and as such, they would run it if they could, but cannot afford it.  My argument is that this is a need, no different than math or English for a typical student.  Also, our school (and some others in our board) offer coop to the typical students, but not the DD population.  I feel this is discrimination!  Also, I have asked how coop for the DD students can be seen as anything but essential.  It’s a need.  And our Education Act specifically states that “every school board shall provide for the needs of its exceptional pupils”.  Our board says it is not a need.  They are obligated to provide work experiences, but not necessarily in the community.  They are obligated to provide a transition plan upon graduation, but not provide community-based coop throughout their high school years. 

I think that the coop program is essential to provide community connections, job skills and to build on social capital.  These students need to build community connections and attain job skills.  We know these kids take longer to gain skills than their typical counterparts.

Yet our arguments fall on deaf ears.  The board keeps saying they would love to provide coop, but they just cannot afford it.  It is not mandatory.  They have to provide for safety first.

The board points to lack of funding from the ministry; the ministry says they have increased their spending and provided more dollars to school boards.  It’s a circular argument.  The trustees, for the most part, just want to tout the party line and hope we will go away.

We are gaining support, however.  Our community is rallying behind us.  We have our MPP on board, a mayor of one of the cities, a strong parent group that is advocating, even a blog...

I think, given enough pressure, the board will find a way to support this necessary program, eventually.  But in the meantime, the clock is ticking and we cannot stand by and watch our children do without the one program they desperately need, while the board is in “think” mode.  We need to get this coop program up and running. Also, there are several students in the class who were doing great in their community coop placements, only to have the program canceled.  Some of these kids will graduate in two years.

These are great kids who work hard and deserve better than the excuses our board is making.  I cannot believe I have to ask something of our board that should already be in place!!  And the answer is “no”.  Unbelievable.  They keep saying the teachers and the schools themselves need to be “more creative”.  What they are saying is, build an in-community coop, that we don’t have to pay for!!!

If you would like to support the request that the Board offer coop to the DD students at NLSS in the form that it was previously offered, please let our Director of Education, Jim Costello, know by contacting him at costelji@lkdsb.net, 519-336-1500 ext. 31297, and our Superintendent of Education - Special Education, Dave Doey, know by contacting him at doeyda@lkdsb.net, 519-354-3770 ext. 31303. Tell them you have read this blog and you are fully in support of the students in the DD class at NLSS participating in coop education in their community. As everyone knows, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!