They do say ‘time flies’…It’s time for the February meeting of the HDSB SEAC on Tues. I have a feeling it will be a long meeting as there are many things on the agenda.
A topic you may have heard about is what time the board’s high schools should start. Some schools start as early as 8:05 a.m. and apparently, teenagers like to stay up late and sleep in, rather than get up early to go to school. The science behind the recommendation is that teenagers need their sleep so they would do better in school if they didn’t have to be at school so early. Here’s what Amy Collard, our Ward 5 Trustee told us, via email:
“Yes, it is a huge topic, and one we’ve just begun to explore. At our first meeting to discuss the idea of later bell times for secondary, I suggested that SEAC should be invited to give feedback and share ideas and concerns once we get through the preliminary stages. Right now we are still talking to the transportation consortium about feasibility and we have yet to hear from our coterminous board about their interest in pursuing this. It is all very exploratory at this stage. Rest assured, SEAC’s voice will be heard if we decide to pursue it in earnest.”
Sincerely,
Amy Collard
Vice Chair, Halton District School Board
Trustee, Burlington Ward 5
So, even though you may have heard through social media that this topic is on the agenda, we’re not there yet. If you have comments you’d like to share, we’ll hang on to them for when we do get the chance to share with SEAC.
Here are some agenda items you may be interested in:
- SELECTION OF CHAIR & VICE CHAIR
- Big Topics – Brainstorming and Priorities
- Committee and other Opportunities
- SEAC Provincial Conference
- Transition to Kindergarten for Students with Special Need
- PIC Committee
- Accessibility Coordinating Committee
- Equity & Inclusive Education Advisory Steering Committee
- Ministry Special Needs Strategy
- Coffee Chats – Ministry grant
- COMMUNICATION TO SEAC & CURRENT SUCCESSES
- Superintendent’s Report
- Association Reports
- Trustee Reports
- SEAC MEMBERS QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
- CALL FOR NOTICES OF MOTION/REPORTS TO THE BOARD
- FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Remember, anyone can attend and observe the meetings. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Halton District School Board Office, J.W. Singleton Centre
2050 Guelph Line, Burlington, ON L7R 3Z2
Autism Ontario Halton SEAC 
Carla, I think that it is wonderful that you have created this space for parents to discuss education issues. One of the first items on next week’s agenda is establishing priorities. Parents discussed many issues at the Education Coffee Chat this past fall. What priorities will be presented from the AO chapters at the SEAC meeting next week?
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Thanks for your comment, Louise. I’m glad you like the blog. I am waiting to hear back from the Chapter CLCs – Halton and North Halton. They are consolidating the list of ideas shared last fall.
In the meantime, what are your top three priorities for Special Education in Halton this year? Tell other parents to comment here too!
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Thank you Carla. In terms of Big Topics, the EA Allocation Process Review is a big one that needs to be looked at. If you’d like a breakdown of the motion brought to and unanimously approved by Trustees, please let me know and I will email to you directly.
I would recommend that if able to, representation on the Accessibility Committee which looks at the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Standards is well worth while to ensure inclusion, supports, disabilities awareness, etc. They also partner with outside agencies to hold the annual Accessibility Fair.
Equity is another committee that looks at the HDSB Equity Policy and ensuring equity of outcome rather than equity of access. Equity also looks at safe schools, inclusion and accommodating students under the seven equity lenses; one of which is disability.
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Thanks for sharing those priorities, Dianna. I plan to see where your recommendation in November went as far as being able to sit on the EA Allocation Process Review Team. Do you know if alternates are able to sit on committees, too? If so, I will share your recommendations with Jess and perhaps she can look at sitting on one committee and I can look at the other.
Yes, please email me that information and I will take a look!
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One question to ask the boards is that if EAs see the IEPs. You would think so, but the fact may be different. If their answer is yes, point out a lot of EAs don’t get to see IEPs and they need to get schools implement that. If they say no, we need to push for.
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Good point. The IEP is only an effective tool if it is implemented consistently across each student’s team! Thank you for your comment.
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I agree with Dianna that two key board committees to get involved with are the Accessibility committee and the Equity and Inclusive Education committee. School and school board staff perceptions of autism continue to present barriers to inclusion for our kids.
If I were to pick three top priorities, the implementation of PPM 140 would be number one. Most kids, not just children with autism, would benefit from the recommendations included in PPM 140…positive strategies, planning for transitions, individualized programming, accountability by collecting data on an ongoing basis.
Another equally important priority is discuss the use of seclusion rooms and restraints. Many schools are presently using small conference rooms for the purpose of seclusion. What is the tracking procedure for the use of seclusion rooms and restraints? How long and how frequently are restraints and seclusion being used with individual students? Is there any reporting to parents? Is the use of restraints and seclusion included on student’s IEPs?
A third priority is communication with parents. Given that communication is often a challenge for children with autism, parents must rely on school staff providing information about their child’s school day. There needs to be a consistent procedure for schools to report injuries to parents to ensure that children receive appropriate and timely medical treatment for their injuries.
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Thanks, Louise. You should also receive the link to a survey tomorrow to share your feedback with the CLC. I’ll post the link here as well, as soon as it’s ready.
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The survey has been posted by the local Autism Ontario Chapters for your feedback on priorities: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KXGLYV2
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