Sask. announces 'specialized support' classrooms for disruptive students, critics question scope

Saskatchewan has announced a pilot programmeant tomanage and de-escalate behavioural incidents in schools, but some details are unclear, and teachers and the Opposition NDP say the plan doesn't range far enough.

The $3.6-million pilot will bring a single new "specialized support" classrooms to each of eight urban school divisions from February of this year until the end of the 2024-25 school year, according to a news release Monday from the provincial government.

Each classroom will have capacity for 15 students and will be staffed by a minimum of one teacher and two educational assistants. They'll also be able to use other support systems, such as psychologists and counsellors,as needed, according to the province.

The Ministry of Education has said school divisions will determine the criteria used to select students, but confirmed studentswill not be moved from their existing school to another school to be integrated into the specialized support classrooms.

"We have heard from Saskatchewan teachers that they need to spend more of their time teaching rather than managing disruptive behaviour," said Education Minister Jeremy Cockrillin the release.

WATCH|Sask. announces 'specialized support' classrooms for disruptive students:

Sask. announces 'specialized support' classrooms for disruptive students

9 months ago

Duration 2:17

The $3.6-million pilot will bring new "specialized support" classrooms to eight urban school divisions from February of this year until the end of the 2024-25 school year, according to a news release Monday from the provincial government.

Cockrill saidthe pilot will allow students to continue their studies uninterrupted,butalso assist those who need short-term targeted interventions.

Samantha Becotte, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF), described thepilot program as an "interesting start" to addressing the issue of class complexity.

"It is a clear admission of government that they agree class complexity is increasing and needs to be addressed and that additional funds are needed to be able to provide students the supports that they deserve and have a right to," Becotte said during a news conference Monday.

Becotte criticized the limited nature of the pilot.She said eight urban schools would only coverabout one per cent of the province's student population and that class complexity is not only experienced in urban areas.

The $3.6-millionbudget also shows an inability to understand the issues in the province's schools, Becotte said.

"When you think of eight schools, that's actually a pretty significant amount of of funding for those individual eight schools over an 18-month project," she said.

"But at the same time, just a month ago, this government spent approximately 1/4 of that amount on a two-week event in Dubai. It is clear that students are not where they should be on the government's list of priorities."

No one from the Ministry of Education was made available to answer questionson camera or by phone Monday.

In statement, the ministry said it will assess the "effectiveness of the various approaches throughout all participating divisions. By undertaking this pilot, the province will gain better insight into the types of interventions that are the most meaningful in terms of supporting teachers and students."

WATCH|Saskatchewan teachers' union strategizes job action for new year as it awaits conciliation report:

Saskatchewan teachers' union strategizes job action for new year as it awaits conciliation report

9 months ago

Duration 2:33

President of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation Samantha Becotte says the union is strategizing job action for the new year while it awaits a report from the conciliation board, due January 15.

Saskatchewan NDP education critic Matt Love saidthe pilot does very little to address the issues raised by teachers.

"This plan does not appear to be well thought out. It it plans to be reactionary at a time when teachers are raising those concerns about the complexities that they experience in the classroom," he said.

"So if this is the plan from the government, I would say it falls well short."

The province confirmed the pilot will be deployed in:

• Living Sky School Divisionand Light of Christ Catholic Schools in North Battleford.
• Prince Albert Catholic School Division andSaskatchewan Rivers Public School Division in Prince Albert.
• Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools andSaskatoon Public Schools.
• Regina Catholic Schools and Regina Public Schools.

The Ministry of Education saideach school divisionwill choose which specific schoolsand which gradeswill participate in the pilot.

Light of Christ Catholic Schools has confirmed that they've chosen St. Mary as the location.

Conciliation ends without deal

The pilot program's announcement comes after the STFand the province's conciliation efforts on a new contract have ended.

The conciliation board concluded that bargaining on a new provincial collective agreement remains at an impasse.

Teachers in the province have been operating without a contract since August.In October,teachers overwhelmingly voted in favourof possible sanctions, though none have been imposed.

Becottesaid the conciliation report can serve as a starting point for further negotiations and stressed that teachers do not want to take job action, even though it remains an option.

"We can't just go back to the table and continue to hear "no and no and no," ornot have a mandate to actually engage in real negotiations," she said.

In response, the government released a statement saying they remain committed to working on issues like classroom composition outside of the bargaining process.

"We continue to call on the STF to return to the bargaining table so that negotiations can continue where we can reach a fair deal with teachers while keeping students in the classroom," the statement read.