Catching Up On Important News Stories Regarding Students with Disabilities!

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aodaalliance

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

TikTok @AODAAlliance

 

Catching Up On Important News Stories Regarding Students with Disabilities!

 

June 23, 2026

 

SUMMARY

 

Over the past months, we and other disability advocates have continued to advocate for the Ford Government to at long last effectively address the plight of at least 350,000 vulnerable students with disabilities in Ontario schools. Quite a number of our recent AODA Alliance Updates have been devoted to this.

 

Today, we catch you up on several important news reports on this issue that our earlier Updates did not cover. Check out the following set out below:

 

 

  • The April 11, 2026 and May 7, 2026 Toronto Star news reports on the Toronto Catholic District School board’s highly criticized plan to relocate two special education classes. TDDSB eventually backed down after an effective advocacy effort by parents.

 

  • The April 27, 2026 Toronto Star included a report focusing on reluctance of some school board trustees because the Ford Government weakened their role. Students with disabilities need good trustees to come to the bat for them when their family runs into roadblocks working with senior school board bureaucrats.

 

  • The April 27, 2026 Toronto Star also included a report taking a thorough and critical look at Education Minister Paul Calandra’s widely criticized plan to penalize high school students for high absenteeism without addressing the underlying causes of that absenteeism.

 

  • The May 12, 2026 Toronto Star included a report that TDSB was to lay off 200 staff. The day before, TDSB senior budget staff did not reveal this cut to the TDSB Special Education Advisory Committee during a required TDSB consultation with that SEAC on TDSB’s special education budget.

 

 

  • The May 12, 2026 Toronto Star included an article reporting on Education Minister Calandra’s stated thinking on when he’d restore school boards. His approach is inexcusably evasive and vague. Moreover, he has not explained why his own highly paid TDSB supervisor, whom the Minister instructs, has not restored TDSB to an assured balanced budget after running TDSB for one year.

 

  • The June 4, 2026 Toronto Star included an especially disturbing report that TDSB planned to displace students with disabilities at a special education school, the Haydon Park High School, when they relocate students from another school to that building. Parents of students with disabilities have been battling for over one year to protect that school, whose program TDSB appears to be gradually trying to shut down.

 

 

How You Can Help

 

  • Write your member of the Ontario Legislature. Their contact information is all available online. Tell them that the Ford Government must remove the many disability barriers in Ontario K-12 schools. It should implement the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee’s final report that it received over four years ago.

 

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

 Toronto Star April 11, 2026

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tcdsb-parents-fight-to-stop-special-education-programs-relocation-saying-it-will-devastate-kids/article_d2c5064c-1362-43b9-adae-b1837c5b2067.html

 

‘Why fix something that’s not broken?’

Parents fight to stop relocation of intensive support program by Toronto Catholic school board

 

Isabel Teotonio Toronto Star

Parents of children with complex special education needs at a Toronto Catholic school are fighting the relocation of an intensive support program, warning the move could undo years of progress and compromise student safety.

 

The Toronto Catholic board plans to move a “multiple exceptionalities/developmental disabilities” class of 10 students at St. Matthew Catholic School this September to the newly built St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary school that offers a modern purpose-built space. But given the intense pushback from parents, board staff say they will review the decision.

Parents say uprooting their kids, most of whom are autistic and non-verbal, risks disrupting established routines and strong relationships with staff. Although school bus transportation will be provided to St. Fidelis, about 6.5 kilometres away, parents worry the roughly 15-to-30-minute ride could distress some students, which raises safety concerns.

“Why fix something that’s not broken? Why take away what is clearly working for students and parents?” asks Nicole Rebelo, whose high-needs son is in the program.

He currently rides the bus for just five minutes and routinely escapes his harness, sometimes harming himself by banging his head when upset.

“The kids will not be happy to see new faces and a new space. And if they have to take transportation, that is going to devastate them.”

Families also criticized the lack of transparency, having learned of the move through word of mouth, rather than official channels. Only after parents started a petition, and media reports surfaced, did the board notify parents about the relocation on Wednesday afternoon.

That night, parents delivered impassioned speeches to the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s special education advisory committee, which is made up of members from organizations that represent parents of children with disabilities and special education needs.

At the meeting, attended by senior staff, parents described St. Matthew’s “amazing staff” and said they worry about kids being transported because bus drivers aren’t trained to manage non-verbal children who are lashing out and having a “meltdown.”

“It’s like we’re risking their life every day doing that,” said one parent. “We’re going to live in fear.”

Mother Diane Dias says parents worry a change in routine will result in kids regressing, with them no longer wanting to go to school and throwing tantrums.

“You guys don’t understand what you’re putting us through,” she said at the meeting, fighting back tears. “All of this change – it’s too much.”

Dias says families of children with special needs have been shut out of meaningful discussions and decision-making that has real consequences for kids who rely on stability, routine and trusted relationships to succeed.

Cristina Fernandes, executive superintendent of student achievement, innovation and well-being, said at the meeting that the TCDSB will give the decision “a second look,” noting it’s “not a done deal completely.” She acknowledged the communication rollout to parents did not meet TCDSB standards and took full responsibility.

Staff said the relocation is not a budgetary move. The decision stems from an annual review of facilities. Also, St. Fidelis has a purpose-built space that offers superior technology, specialized furniture and accessible washrooms. They also said they would review if additional support or security measures would be required during transportation.

Maria Meehan, superintendent of special services and mental health, said the TCDSB would support families through the transition. For instance, this may include site visits to St. Fidelis or the creation of a “social story,” which is a personalized visual narrative often used to help autistic students navigate transitions and new environments.

“We do have a number of months to prepare for the transition and, as always, we work with families, we listen to their concerns and their questions, and we want to make sure we are working alongside them,” she said.

The TCDSB says multiple exceptionalities/developmental disabilities placements are offered at various school sites serving students from across the system. The board regularly reviews special education program locations to ensure students are learning in environments that best support their needs.

Parents of children with special education needs at St. Matthew Catholic School gathered at the Toronto Catholic District School Board on Wednesday to speak out against the relocation of an intensive support program. SUPPLIED PHOTO

 

 

 Toronto Star May 7, 2028

 

Originally posted at https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20260507/281595247150645

 

TCDSB drops plan to relocate special education program

Isabel Teotonio Toronto Star

 

Toronto’s Catholic board will not relocate an intensive support program at two of its schools next year – a planned move that had generated intense pushback from parents of children with complex special education needs.

While the decision has been met with relief by parents, who worried that uprooting their high-needs children from their current schools would undo years of progress, they remain cautiously optimistic.

“We’re relieved for now,” says Diane Dias, whose daughter attends St. Matthew Catholic School and is in the multiple exceptionalities/developmental disabilities program. “But we’re scared for next year. Are they going to come back again next year and say this again?”

Parents at St. Matthew and St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School were notified last week by the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) that the program will remain at those schools for the 2026-27 academic year.

The change comes after parents were stunned in early April to learn through word of mouth, rather than official channels, that the board planned to relocate the program from those schools to other sites next year. Parents were upset, saying their children are happy and well-supported where they are, and worried that a change in routine would be extremely disruptive.

That prompted them to launch a petition, speak with media outlets and deliver impassioned speeches at a special education advisory committee meeting, which ended with senior staff agreeing to review the decision.

In a statement to the Star, a board spokesperson said staff recently met families at both schools “to listen to their perspectives and explore workable solutions that would best support student success.” After those discussions, the board opted to keep the programs where they are for next year.

The TCDSB “is committed to making decisions in the best interests of students with special needs and will continue to review its programs annually to ensure they align with student needs, program viability, and system-wide priorities,” said the spokesperson via email.

Angela Yim, whose son is in the program at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, says parents are “happy it’s staying, but at the same time we all went through a lot of stress for the program to remain exactly where it is.”

 

 Toronto Star April 27, 2026

 

Originally posted at https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20260427/281599542097166?srsltid=AfmBOopYiuz-OsYxcI3jOhQ8VLjKJNYIZ9yOb8RABmcDqanXgNsLz89n

 

Trustees confront their changing role

Some say they won’t run again under provincial revamp, while others still see a place in system

 

Kristin Rushowy Senior Writer

 

Little power, little say and little pay.

The role of school board trustees is soon to be sapped under new legislation, leaving them able to advocate for parents (but with no real clout or connections), hire the CEO (but not fire), take part in budget talks (but if there’s any disagreement, the education minister makes the final decision) – and not much else.

It’s left some wondering if there’s any point in running for the position, especially in the eight boards where the province has swooped in and taken control.

“I’m really concerned that (the bill) will change us from being collaborative partners with senior staff to being just also-rans in the relationship,” said Toronto District School Board trustee Dan MacLean, who is having second thoughts about standing for re-election in this fall’s municipal vote.

“I can effectively advocate for students and families because of the relationships with senior staff that I have,” added the Etobicoke Centre representative. “I don’t envision that will be the same going forward … It will still be really important to support parents, but the role you play will be so minor that I’m not sure staff will find it necessary to partner with you in the same manner, and I think that will make it really hard to effectively advocate for students and families.”

While he hasn’t ruled out running, he plans to “take some time and try to figure out where the dust settles.”

Under the Putting Student Achievement First Act (Bill 101), recently introduced by Education Minister Paul Calandra, no board can have more than 12 trustees – which means the Toronto public board will be almost halved from the current 22 – and their honoraria are cut to a maximum of $10,000 with limits on discretionary spending. They will hire the newly created chief executive officer (CEO) position, but not the new chief education officer, and cannot terminate the CEO without the minister’s permission.

Once passed, the bill will remove trustee organizations as the main bargaining group for provincial contract talks, and would forbid board staff and trustees from speaking publicly in their role on any political, non-school-related issues.

For Calandra, the new rules allow trustees “to do what they keep telling me that they want to do, it allows them to keep doing what the opposition says is the most important role of a trustee – to represent the community and bring that voice to the board. But it strips them away of much of everything else that they do that would cause division within our school system.”

The new CEO will devise the budget, and trustees can make suggestions and pass it, but if they choose not to, the minister makes the final call.

“The changes to how boards are governed and the reduction in the role of a trustee to a much less divisive role make things a lot clearer, and I know will put the focus back on student achievement,” Calandra said after introducing the bill.

While Calandra had initially threatened to get rid of all English public trustees – saying Catholic and French needed to remain for constitutional reasons – he instead diminished their roles. Catholic trustees will retain authority around denominational issues; French board trustees are unaffected.

For former Toronto Catholic board chair Markus de Domenico, “what happened in Bill 101, in an odd way, it’s a victory for the parent voice … I’m not happy about (the bill), but I believe the province’s plan a year ago was to get rid of every trustee in the province, take control of the boards, and parents … spoke out. They realized that the appointed supervisor was not responding … was just not going to cut it, and the role of trustee suddenly became more relevant than ever – that voice to assist parents and direct them through what can be a very large and confusing bureaucracy.”

Plus, he added, “with all due respect, I’m not sure they thought this thing through. Because having a trustee … is a pretty good buffer for the government.”

Disability rights activist and retired lawyer David Lepofsky slammed the “power grab” and “creation of a blizzard of bureaucracy.”

 

“You need a lawyer, and a lot of years, to try to figure out what the heck the role of the trustees is,” he told the Star’s Isabel Teotonio, amid worries it would mean less assistance for parents of special needs children when issues arise.

While the province has mandated parent support offices in every board as of this fall, New Democrat MPP Chandra Pasma called them “a convenient talking point for the minister, but (in Ottawa, where the public board already has one) it hasn’t reduced the number of calls that are coming to my office.”

For Ontario families “who need somebody to pick up the phone and advocate for them, it absolutely matters that there’s still a trustee for them,” said Pasma, her party’s education critic.

For Cathy Abraham, a trustee in the Kawartha Pine Ridge public board and former president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, the revamp is “not the worst of scenarios … we’re still going to be there, and it’s not going to stop trustees from doing the work that we’ve always done, making sure that we advocate for our communities, telling our administration what our communities need and why, telling the ministry what we need and why.”

However, with CEO to be the top position at boards, having a financial but not necessarily education background, “what they have actually done is put us all under quasi-supervision.”

While trustees hire the CEO, the CEO then hires the chief education officer – referred to as the CEdO – “and you’re looking for somebody who reflects what you believe about education, and reflect your community’s needs, and we don’t have a say in that,” Abraham added.

While the CEO will be in charge of finances and is expected to have experience in that sector, the CEdO will oversee all aspects of teaching and learning, and needs to be a certified teacher.

A group of Ontario parents who sit on their school board parent involvement committees have drafted a response to the bill, saying “we wish for (trustees) to have the ability to advocate for students in a meaningful way” and that local voters have a say in he fate of school lands or outdoor education centres.

While Calandra has said he’ll appoint trustees if there are no candidates in an area, de Domenico said he hopes that doesn’t happen.

The role, he believes, “is worth it … if we care about the students, then we need to encourage people who are committed, and strong and ready to speak up about what is needed for kids in the system to get a great education, to step up and run.”

 

 Toronto Star April 27, 2026

 

Originally posted at https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20260427/281500757849358?srsltid=AfmBOoo_qo2Fdll3s2xpuIprG2P7iZYCvFGCrCp3lfAs884ud8tD19Mq

 

Tackling absenteeism about more than marks

Ontario’s plan a start, but educators point to many reasons why students miss class

 

Kristin Rushowy Senior Writer Isabel Teotonio Toronto Star

 

They were sick, at a medical appointment, their parents gave them the day off. They were too tired, on vacation, or admitted to skipping.

When students were asked why they missed school over a two-week period, those were their top reasons – with sickness accounting for about half, followed by an appointment for almost one in five. Some 15 per cent cited their parents’ OK to be away.

As the government looks to curb soaring absenteeism in Ontario schools by making attendance and participation worth 10 or 15 per cent of a teen’s final mark, experts say more needs to be done to address a problem that is plaguing countries everywhere post-pandemic.

Jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. have experimented with public education campaigns, creating attendance competitions between classes with fun rewards, training teachers and secretaries, and sending in supports when needed. Pathways to Education Canada, a non-profit tutoring and support organization for vulnerable students, also tracks absenteeism and says something as simple as providing a transit pass can make a difference.

“Every school division in the world will tell you that since the pandemic, absenteeism has been an issue,” said Tracy Vaillancourt, an education professor at the University of Ottawa and an expert on the topic.

In Ontario, provincial figures show just 40 per cent of high school students met attendance standards last year – being in class at least 90 per cent of the time.

 

That’s down nearly 20 percentage points from pre-pandemic levels. Missing more than 10 per cent of classes, or roughly 19 absences a year, is considered chronic absenteeism.

The data on why students here report missing class is taken from school climate surveys filled out by kids from grades 4 to 12 across the province – surveys the government says will no longer be mandatory. Vaillancourt said knowing the reasons can help pinpoint solutions.

Take the “too tired” group of teens: Their absenteeism rate doubles in high school “if they were on their screen before they went to bed,” Vaillancourt said.

“When we think about policies, or even outreach, this is something that parents can easily address – take your kids off their phone an hour before they go to bed, and maybe we’ll see them attending more.”

With vacation also a significant factor, she noted that in Scandinavian countries, “you’re not allowed to go on vacation during school time.” (And for parents all too willing to pull their kids out for a day or two to attend a sports tournament, “the priority should be attending school,” said Vaillancourt, herself a high-performance coach of a provincial U17 soccer team.)

Parents may mean well in allowing a day off, but poor attendance “goes hand in hand with lower academic achievement, which then puts more pressure on kids in terms of mental health,” she said. “We really need to be sending our kids to school, even when they are a little uncomfortable.”

The province also needs to take a deep look at the complex underlying issues, which include “mental health challenges, family responsibilities and transportation barriers,” said Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

Without addressing these, the policy may not lead to lasting improvements and could disproportionately affect students already facing significant challenges, said Woodcock, who is urging the government to pair grading changes with increased supports and efforts to re-engage students.

Owen Charters, president and CEO of Pathways, says attendance at its after-school tutoring sessions is monitored, along with kids’ attendance at school, “so if they’re starting to drop out of classes or not attending, we follow up and figure out what the barriers are, and encourage them to be back in class.”

Sometimes kids just need a transit pass or a decent meal “so they’re not sitting in class hungry … there’s a whole layer of supports” including access to a computer or Wi-Fi. Then they need a caring adult who is paying attention, following up on absences, helping with any struggles and accessing supports, he added.

With school boards under greater strain due to staffing cuts, students are increasingly navigating a complex system to find needed help, he said.

“I’m glad to see the government is paying attention to absenteeism rates,” Charters added. “It’s not bad that they’ve created an incentive program by saying ‘it’s going to be part of your marks’ … but it has to come with supports.”

Toronto mother Katrina Matheson believes some students simply don’t see enough value in being at school. She was raised with the notion that kids shouldn’t miss school if they can help it, but having volunteered in her children’s classes, she can see how learning can feel dull and uninspiring, saying even she has struggled with whether to send them every day.

“When being in class doesn’t feel valuable, either because kids are bored at the slow pace or because they’re so lost they feel beyond help, then everyone begins to feel blasé about attendance,” she said.

Jennifer Pinder, a special education elementary teacher in Waterloo, believes unmet student needs are driving absenteeism, particularly when early intervention and services are lacking.

When needs aren’t met in early grades, she says children create “false narratives” about themselves and think they are poor learners, fuelling disengagement.

Grade 12 Toronto student Ahnaaf Hassan said classrooms thin out after second semester midterms, once colleges and universities have received the marks that matter most for admission. Students start to “chill out a little bit,” and look ahead to prom, end-of-year celebrations and “transitioning into summer.”

That may explain why Grade 12 students had the lowest attendance in 2024-25, with just 33 per cent attending at least 90 per cent of the time, down from 49 per cent in 2017-18. But Hassan believes any mandate to try to “force participation” could backfire and make some teens resent school.

Education Minister Paul Calandra has said exemptions to the attendance rules will be made for health reasons, special needs students as well as weather and transportation issues, especially in northern and rural areas – and that kids won’t be penalized if attending sports tournaments.

Parent leaders from 13 Ontario school boards recently met to discuss the change, warning it will hurt students already facing barriers. They are calling on the province to fund more vice-principals, incentivize principals and teachers in schools with strong attendance rates, and improve school transportation.

 

In recent years, some Ontario boards have launched attendance campaigns. Algoma District School Board introduced its campaign along with a “re-engagement team,” a multi-disciplinary group of staff who work with schools, families and community partners to help chronically absent students return to class.

The board says truancy charges are rare and used only as a last resort when all efforts have failed to get a student back in school.

The District School Board Ontario North East has already established attendance goals, peer mentoring and direct outreach to families, including mailing postcards home to each student who doesn’t have regular attendance.

At Rainy River District School Board, based in Fort Frances, teachers see alerts when students are repeatedly absent or attendance is declining, staff are trained to speak with families in positive, non-punitive ways, and even school secretaries – the first point of contact with families when a kid is away – receive training from an attendance counsellor.

Bluewater District School Board focuses on helping kids understand why attendance matters – even partnering with the local health authority to get this message across – and says families are being notified sooner about issues and more quickly connected to mental health supports.

According to Attendance Works, a U.S. non-profit initiative to reduce chronic absences, recognizing good or improved attendance with incentives such as assemblies, free homework passes or hallway dance parties are powerful motivators for kids. One California elementary school gives the class with the best attendance extra recess time once a week, while a Chicago high school gives teens with good attendance special access to its VIP lounge.

But for one Toronto high school guidance counsellor, who was not authorized to speak publicly, having educators build meaningful relationships with students and regularly check in is “one of the strongest predictors of improved attendance, especially for students at risk.”

“You’d be amazed at how many times these students will go, ‘I don’t want to disappoint so-and-so because they’re expecting me’ ” in school, the counsellor said. “That turns into a sense of belonging.”

 

 

 Toronto Star May 12, 2026

 

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ontario-education-minister-reveals-what-school-boards-must-do-to-end-supervision/article_b57ff670-6dc5-499b-9dd3-1dc4d487b6e9.html

 

Ontario education minister reveals what school boards must do to end supervision

Calandra says requirements could go beyond just balancing books.

 

Kristin Rushowy Senior Writer

 

The eight school boards currently under provincial supervision will need to balance their books and even post surpluses before they can get their powers back, says Education Minister Paul Calandra.

Speaking at the Democracy Forum at Toronto Metropolitan University, Calandra – who has previously not provided any timelines for returning local control – said “each of the boards have different challenges on restoring themselves, bringing themselves back to long-term financial stability.”

There are “some boards that have made some really challenging and difficult decisions that make no sense,” including the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board “that has a really dramatic challenge with respect to long-term disability (costs)” that put it on the brink of bankruptcy, Calandra said.

That’s why he stripped that board, and a handful of others, of their powers and sent in supervisors, Calandra said Thursday at the forum hosted by the Star.

The education minister said he’s looking for “long-term stability in their budgeting, in their financing, restoring their surpluses to a healthy margin and making sure that they can function on a long-term basis, on at least a balanced-budget approach.”

Over the past year, the province has taken over a number of school boards – Toronto public and Catholic, Dufferin-Peel Catholic, Ottawa public, Peel public, York Catholic, Near North public and Thames Valley public – mainly citing financial concerns, but also dysfunctional governance.

Boards have argued that provincial underfunding is at the root of their budgetary issues, and currently about 28 of 72 are running or projecting deficits.

Calandra said while he wants the supervisors to assess whether the formula for the province’s $40 billion education funding is working, he acknowledged that he is “100 per cent” looking at resources for special education, saying “teachers are very frustrated; they’re frustrated that they feel they’re not getting the support that they might need in order to help every child.”

The province’s auditor general is set to release a report on special education needs on Tuesday.

David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said the minister doesn’t need to hear from supervisors about the funding formula or special education because “we have education workers in every single school and every single community that could tell you what’s wrong … what’s happening on the ground is not being addressed.”

The “needs that students have are not being addressed,” he added.

While Calandra said trustees in the supervised boards have made questionable decisions – including hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on court battles between trustees in the York Catholic board – he told the forum that “there are pet projects … In Peel Region we have a trustee who has had a portable at his disposal for over 10 years. He’s using it as a storage locker.”

In an interview, trustee David Green said he had an agreement with the Peel District School Board to store equipment for Free For All Community Services – a non-profit that he runs that provides kids with lunchtime, after school and summer programming for a number of schools, with an agreement to provide some programming in exchange for space that has been used for the past 16 years.

But in a subsequent letter to Green, the provincial supervisor has said the items must be removed within 60 days, which Green says is in accordance with the agreement, and that the board is going to probe the “nature and extent of the relationship” between the board and Free For All.

Green said the programming supports children, especially Black students and those who are marginalized, and that the portable stores sports equipment, books, a barbecue for the organization’s big summer event, as well as some items for newcomer families.

He said he has no personal belongings there, adding he believes he and his organization are being targeted given he’s been an outspoken critic of supervision.

Education Minister Paul Calandra said each of the eight school boards currently under provincial supervision have “different challenges on restoring themselves, bringing themselves back to long-term financial stability.” Justin Tang/ The Canadian Press file photo

 

 

 

 Toronto Star May 12, 2026

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tdsb-laying-off-more-than-200-administrative-staff-in-latest-cuts/article_fd19eb09-3acc-484a-8ac2-b6570323d5a7.html

 

TDSB laying off more than 200 administrative staff in latest cuts

The school board said the layoffs do not affect classroom staff, but union leaders say the cuts will still hurt the classroom.

 

Brendan Kennedy Investigative Reporter

 

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is laying off more than 200 “central administration staff,” the board announced Monday, citing years of declining enrolment as the reason for the downsizing.

In an email to staff and a statement to the Star, the board did not specify the kinds of jobs that will be affected, but said the cuts do not affect classroom staff.

In all, 218 employees will be laid off and 91 vacant positions will be eliminated.

“These changes are part of the TDSB’s broader efforts to protect classroom learning, support student achievement and restore long-term financial sustainability,” board spokesperson Ryan Bird said in an email.

Staff were notified at 4:59 p.m. Monday afternoon in an email from interim education director Stacey Zucker and supervisor Rohit Gupta.

On Monday evening, the president of one of the unions representing affected workers said he was still in the dark about what jobs the board was cutting.

“We don’t have any of that information,” said John Weatherup, president of Toronto Education Workers 4400, a CUPE local representing hundreds of different job classifications. Weatherup said it’s “misleading” of the board to suggest the cuts won’t impact the classroom. He said many of the workers he expects to be laid off work in schools, including in special education and outdoor education, among other roles.

The board did not immediately respond to Weatherup’s characterization or a request to provide more clarity on the affected jobs.

Another union leader representing professional support staff, including social workers and psychologists, said some of her members have been told they have been declared surplus, but she hasn’t been able to speak to anyone at the board to get a better understanding of the cuts.

“I’m concerned about the students,” said Solange Scott, president of the Professional Student Services Personnel bargaining unit. “I’m concerned about their mental health.

“There’s already been so many cuts to education, and this is just another deeper one for our students,” Scott said.

The TDSB, currently under provincial supervision due to what the Ontario government has described as financial mismanagement, is projecting 5,000 fewer students next school year.

The board announced last month it was cutting 40 vice-principals due to falling enrolment.

One union leader has raised concerns about students’ mental health as layoffs mark “another deeper” cut to education. Giovanni Capriotti for the Toronto Star file photo

 

 

 Toronto Star June 4, 2026

 

Originally posted at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/parents-at-tdsb-special-needs-school-heydon-park-shocked-by-plan-to-move-students-and-give-their-space-to-another-school/article_4e4c1dc2-caf5-47ee-ae1a-535f534803fa.html

 

Parents at TDSB special needs school Heydon Park shocked by plan to move students and give their space to another school

Kids at Orde school will move to Heydon Park, which serves special-needs girls, due to tower construction, but unclear where Heydon Park kids will go.

 

By Mahdis HabibiniaCity Hall Bureau

 

Melana Janzen said she doesn’t yet have the heart to tell her 16-year-old daughter Annika, who has learning challenges, that she will be forced to transfer out of her special education school next year.

Wednesday was prom night, Janzen said, and the news that Heydon Park Secondary School kids will soon be displaced for a few years to a yet-unknown school would have upset Annika.

“I’m so inflamed,” Janzen said in an interview, a day after learning the Toronto District School Board plans to relocate kids at nearby Orde Street Public School to Heydon Park, which serves special-needs girls, due to the construction of a 60-storey tower right next to Orde’s outdoor play area.

The TDSB has halted enrolment at two Toronto schools. Parents say the board is shutting them down by stealth

“It’s heartbreaking and terrifying to imagine what the alternative is. And for a lot of these kids, (Heydon Park) is a lifeline, literally,” said Janzen, among the moms who told the Star that the news is jarring. “It serves so many purposes. It’s the only female-identifying school (and for special needs). They’re very vulnerable. There are kids that are suicidal that go here and also girls that are on the spectrum are highly sexualized.”

In a June 2 letter sent by Jennifer Chan, the TDSB’s superintendent of education, parents and caregivers were notified that the students at Orde will be moved to Heydon Park, both in the Grange Park neighbourhood downtown, just 700 metres apart, as early as January 2027.

However, it would displace about 130 kids at Heydon Park, an overwhelming majority of whom have special needs ranging from autism to various learning disabilities.

“Excessive vibration, traffic, air quality levels, noise, and the risk of falling objects due to construction are not conducive to a safe learning environment for students and staff,” Chan’s letter said. “Given the number of Orde St. students, we will need to relocate Heydon Park (school) to another TDSB site as it represents the best opportunity to accommodate Orde Street (school) during construction.”

Dave Paskar, a parent whose two daughters attend Orde, said he knew in April their kids would have to relocate, but they didn’t know Heydon Park was even an option until an emergency meeting Tuesday night after Chan’s letter went out.

“We’re all worried. We have suspicions it will be a domino effect,” Paskar said, referencing concerns Heydon Park students will be permanently displaced and so will Orde students, because the latter will be taken over either by the city or province for other development purposes.

“Heydon Park is probably the best possible outcome in terms of proximity and keeping the school together … but on the other hand, why does a public school have to close because they have to build a building?”

According to a bulletin that Orde school’s principal sent parents Wednesday afternoon, the TDSB is anticipating the relocation period will be three to four years “or until tower construction is complete.” The bulletin said Heydon Park will also be renovated to “accommodate the needs for an elementary school” and that Orde Day Care will be relocated to Contact Alternative School.

On Wednesday evening, TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird told the Star that Heydon Park was the best option because it’s close by and has room for all 400 Orde students.

“Of note, Heydon Park SS doesn’t have a geographical boundary and accepts students from across the city,” he said, adding the board wants to keep Heydon Park students together as well.

Parents at Heydon Park say they haven’t been consulted and remain in the dark about some questions. They argue the move doesn’t consider students’ learning needs and highlights an extreme lack of transparency.

“Why us? Why can’t they send the elementary school to a safer place that is empty?” said Kamala Kalsi, co-chair of the parent school council for Heydon Park, in an interview. “They’re moving the most vulnerable population to God knows which location. And for these students to even transition from one class to another is a big, big issue.”

Kalsi said the TDSB has scheduled a meeting on June 17 with parents to let them know where Heydon Park students will be relocated.

Chan’s letter did not detail how the TDSB chose Heydon Park as the host school, aside from “a thorough review of all possible options and sites.”

“I recognize that Heydon Park SS is a close-knit community with strong connections to its current home and we will do everything possible to make this as smooth a transition as possible,” Chan’s letter continued.

Kalsi said she doubts the Heydon Park students will be coming back and believes this is a way to permanently transfer students. “They just want to close Heydon Park and access to the special needs program,” she said.

Deborah Williams, the local school board trustee, said given that the TDSB will be suspending enrolment this fall for Grade 9 and 10 students at Heydon Park, citing low registration numbers, and parents’ brewing concerns for the last few years about the school potentially closing, that this looks like the board and province’s way of “winding down the school.”

“Everything’s happening behind closed doors,” Williams said. “The usual process for these reviews involves extensive meetings and opportunities for feedback. I don’t know why (TDSB chose) Heydon Park,” aside from proximity.

Williams said the province, which has been running the TDSB through a supervisor, is primarily to blame because it has been sending a message that boards have to fit students into a “funding formula that doesn’t serve our students’ needs.”

Janzen said Heydon Park has a model of special education for girls that has been successful, which is uncommon.

“It really does feel that they aren’t taking into account the genuinely unique situation here,” she said.

 

Mahdis Habibinia is part of the Star’s city hall bureau, based in Toronto. Reach her via email: mhabibinia@thestar.ca