Letter from Lisa Weir to Bernard Richard, Ombudsman:

 March 25/08

Good day Mr. Richard,

I am writing to you because in your role as an advocate for youth in this province, I feel it is pertinent to express my concerns regarding the implementation of the Intensive French program. I would like to begin by stating that I am against this decision. I am against it because I believe it is wrong for a government to remove choice from citizens under just about any possible circumstance. I am against it most wholeheartedly, however, because of how this program will affect my daughter and no doubt, many others who are in a similar situation.

My daughter Kennedy, who is going into grade five in six short months, has CHARGE syndrome. As a brief introduction, CHARGE is a complex genetic syndrome involving many of the systems of the body, including cardiac, respiratory, genitourinary, and endocrine. It also affects her cranial nerves (II, VII, VIII, IX, and X) - these involve the ability to smell, tongue/palate movement, movement of food down the GI tract, facial movements, and hearing. It also affects her vision - she has a significant vision loss as well as her severe to profound hearing loss and an absence of semi-circular canals (no vestibular system = no balance). As you can imagine, because Kennedy has such a complex disorder, this has necessitated a real team approach to education. It has meant bringing together numerous professionals to develop an educational plan with goals that meet Kennedy’s learning needs. This team has included the staff at her school (resource teacher, classroom teacher, principal), itinerant teachers for students who are blind/visually impaired and for students who are deaf/hard of hearing, speech language pathologists, the psychoeducational assessment team at the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA) and earlier on, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. This team, which also has included her father and myself, has really done a great job of developing a program that is pursuant to her needs. In class, she has the support of a Teacher’s Assistant and an Interpreter. Even with all of this support at school and a modified program that is designed to meet her very unique needs, she is still worn out at the end of the day from working twice as hard to get the information in that her classmates do. Her father and I often spend a great deal of time with her at home doing her homework as well, much more time than the average student would need for the same amount. If you want to understand her a bit better, close your eyes part way, plug both your ears, and spin around continually for about 5 minutes, then stop and try to concentrate on learning something.

I would like to say for the record that I trust the professionals who are trained in the education of students with issues similar to Kennedy’s very much; I attribute a great deal of her success to their work with her and their input regarding her education. Those professionals, who are specially trained to educate students with syndromes such as Kennedy’s have told me flat out that this is completely inappropriate educational programming for her. She does not have age-appropriate language development in English and her goals are designed, predominantly, to improve her English skills in an effort to try and bring her closer to that of her classmates. Those same professionals I trust and whose opinion I value deeply are unable to answer my questions as to how they can possibly provide for Kennedy in this Intensive French program. I have queried the Premier, the Minister of Education, my local school district superintendent, director of student services and no matter who I ask, NOBODY can tell me the answer.

I attended an information meeting this evening for grade four parents in school district 8 and when another parent asked a question regarding how these teachers would be trained to deliver this program, the response was that it would be on professional development (PD) days in June and several PD days before they went back to school in August. When I pressed as to whether they felt this was adequate training to appropriately deliver this program, they responded that the training would be “ongoing” and they would be “collaborating” with others who have already done the pilot this year in three other schools in the district. I was informed that during this time, the methods and resource teachers would not be working with students, only teachers, even though Math will still be taught (and my child gets resource help with math). I realize these district personnel did not make this decision, they just have the job of dealing with its aftermath, but this is completely unacceptable. If anyone is delusional enough to think that a few days of PD can adequately train a teacher to properly deliver this (or any) program to any child, let alone a child like Kennedy with her complex needs, they are simply not in touch with reality. And that is just the “teacher” aspect - how many French-speaking Teacher’s Assistants are there? How many French-speaking Interpreters? How many itinerant teachers for students who are deaf/hard of hearing and/or blind/visually impaired have any training in second language instruction for these children? Does the government feel it can train all of these people, these people who are essential to my daughter being able to participate at all in the education system, in a couple of “PD days?”

The reckless manner and breakneck speed with which this government feels it needs to implement this program makes me feel that I am putting my child on a roller coaster with part of the track missing and hoping for the best. I am not willing to do that, Mr. Richard. We have worked too hard with Kennedy to allow her to enter into something with so little planning, consideration or forethought on her behalf. Kennedy herself has worked much too hard to be subjected to this type of haphazard plan that in no way will provide any foreseeable benefit to her. I will not allow her to be a guinea pig in this program.

I understand that you will be meeting with the Minister and would like to say that on behalf of a little girl (and many others) who deserves better, I appreciate your consideration and assistance in this matter. I would be happy to answer any further questions you have regarding our situation, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,
Lisa Weir