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Nine per cent of Richmond students have a special education designation, says director of instruction and inclusive learning Jane MacMillan.
Photo by Jaana Björk
Students with learning disabilities receiving support
By Hannah Scott (Local Journalism Initiative reporter) and Lorraine Graves
Published 12:55 PDT, Wed September 30, 2020
Last Updated: 4:24 PDT, Wed September 30, 2020
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For children with learning disabilities or other needs, receiving support at school looks a little different during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nine per cent of Richmond students have a special education designation from the Ministry of Education according to Jane MacMillan, director of instruction and inclusive learning at the Richmond School District. This designation identifies students as having special needs which can include an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural disability, a learning disability or the designation gifted. Some of those students receive additional support from educational assistants or other staff.
“Availability of support has not changed (as a result of the pandemic) as students either return to school or access transitional learning,” says MacMillan. “A range of staff provide support remotely as well as for those attending in person.”
MacMillan says staffing has been added across grade levels to support students. Schools are currently staffed for the number of students registered, and additional federal funding is being used in part to hire more teachers.
“We have hired additional teachers to meet the needs of students in learning cohorts, including those accessing the transitional option at this time in both elementary and secondary (schools),” says MacMillan.
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