Thread by @FAPareja

Tales from a Broken System: An @ETFOPeel member who works in Brampton & provides direct Special Education support to their school, to students, & families diligently tracked the no. of mins they were unable to… // 1/x #ETFO #OntEd #OnLab @PeopleforEd @ETFOEducators #OnPoli

…provide that support over the course of the school year b/c of staffing shortages. On multiple days & occasions over the course of the year, they were directed to collapse their support program so that they could instead take over a class & supervise those students… // 2/x

…b/c the school wasn’t able to secure an Occasional Teacher (i.e. a ‘Supply Teacher’) on that day to cover an absence. This means that, on those days, several students & staff were denied *direct support* that they need, deserve, & are entitled to b/c this system… // 3/x

…doesn’t have the capacity (i.e. the FUNDING) to provide necessary daily coverage & supervision. It doesn’t have the capacity to provide a sufficient number of caring & qualified adults for all the students who need & deserve it. // 4/x

This, among others, is one of the great shames of this #OntEd system currently. And w/o data to show just how rampant & widespread the problem is, it’s a widely kept secret.

Back to this teacher, though… // 5/x

So over the course of the 2021-2022 school year, students & families at this one PDSB school in Brampton were denied & robbed of a grand total of…

2️⃣7️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ minutes of direct Special Education support. // 6/x

That’s 45+ hours that those students will never get back or benefit from. Time that they should have been supported in their learning by a passionate educator who wants nothing more than to be able to do the job they’re *supposed* to be doing but can’t… // 7/x

…b/c of a lack of funding & resources.

This system is (& has long been) broken – on purpose. And by design. And education workers & communities are the only things standing btw what’s supposed to be a strong publicly funded system & even further, deeper cuts. // 8/x

Education workers across this province are on a collision course w this govt, & we’re going to need everyone (*EVERYONE*) to back the coming fight in a big way. 9/9

cc: @ClarrieF @KrystlHewitt @CAlphonso @KRushowy