Dear MPP Jim McDonell,
My son is in a special education program: 6 small special needs students to 3 adults. (1 teacher, 2 EA’s.) This is included in the class size average. This class will be eliminated to ensure class sizes meets the proposed averages. The needs of many of the students in these types of classes are great, and require one on one instruction time with EA’s. Many of these children will not do well in a regular classroom. My son would wreak havoc in a regular classroom. No one in that class will ever do any learning if my son is placed there. Your government’s cuts will do exactly that. Every student in his year, will never get through a single lesson plan. You will have an entire generation not prepared for the work force, and will end up on government assistance as a result of this governments decision to higher the class size average. (Let’s not forget, your government also butchered the Ontario Autism Program, that would have helped him become school ready, and one day become a contributing member of society.) Your office could not deal with him for more than 2 minutes before having an adult meltdown, while I was in the midst of giving an interview on my sit in letter writing campaign. Think of the 25 other young students trying to learn in that same environment.
I would like to book a meeting to further discuss this matter. (Don’t worry, I’ll hire a respite worker at $25 per hour, to watch my son, so that your office is not disrupted by him playing in the corner again.)
