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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-01-21, Page 3SS board get details about special education Two members of the regional office, of the ministry of education, attended the Huron -Perth County catholic shool board meeting Monday to outline some of the details of Bill 82, an act to amend the Educa- tion Act on behalf of special education. Mrs. Sandy Posno and regional superintendent, Douglas G. MacLeod, ex- plained that this Bill will br- ing the first major change in education in years moving education from "may" to "shall". According to the Bill, Education Minister Bette Stephenson shall ensure that all exceptional children in Ontario have available to them appropriate special education programs and special education services without payment of fees by parents or guardians. The act describes an ex- ceptonal pupil as a pupil whose behavioural, com- municational, intellectual, physical or multiple excep- tionalities are such that he is considered ,to . need place- ment in a special education program by a committee es- tablished for this purpose. Mr. MacLeod said it becomes complicated when you combine the regulations with this Act, but we should think in terms of the pupils and what it does for them. He said no one is excepted from education. He spoke of the provisions in the Act for the hard to serve pupils thosepupils assessed to be unable to profit from instruction offered by a board due to a mental handicap or a mental and one or more additional handicaps. He talked of the trainable mentally retarded and also of the gifted pupil and how these identified and provided for. He discussed the respon- sibilities of the board to provide the programs and services needed. He said when a child is identified as requiring special education then a meeting must be held with the parents to discuss the program advised. Every board must have a special education advisory com- mittee. he said. Mr. -MacLeod said the program is to be instituted in 1985. In the meantime, the boards must have a com- prehensive plan ready by May 1982 which will have to be submitted to the ministry for approval by May 1982. He reported there are 21 boards across Ontario (three in Western Ontario) in pilot projects which will provide planning guides for the whole program. He said these boards in this project are working very well. When asked about the cost of im- plementing the whole program in 1985 he said there is no estimate at this time but the pilot projects will give a better idea of what the costs will be to meet the needs of this special program. A SKATING HELPER — Lourie Glavin helps her brother Andy during Sunday's skating session in Crediton T -A photo Fence suggestion partially resolved A recommendation by the executive committee to Ex- eter council this week regar- ding the erection of a fence along the boundary shared by ratepayers Gib Dow and the community park didn't meet with anyone's satisfac- tion. It called for. the town to pay for installing a four -foot fence from the Wellington St. entrance of the park to a point approximately 350 feet easterly. Randy Evans, solicitor for Dow. said his client would prefer a six-foot fence and wanted it to run for a dis- tance of at least 650 feet, and questioned why a portion ofthe committee's recommendation for an ad- ditional 300 feet had been deleted in their presentation to council. Councillor Lossy Fuller said they had been in con- sultation with the parks development committee and hadbeen advised that a fence would be erected in a portion of the boundary area in association with a softball diamond and it was felt that two fences would not be re- quired. However, even committee members Fuller and Alvin Epp failed to vote for the recommendation of the 350 feet of four -foot fence and after the motion was lost, council approved another motion to erect a five-foot fence for the distance of 350 feet. Works superintendent Glenn Kells said his depart- ment could install the fence for approximately $6.50 per foot. or a total cost of $2,275. Evans indicated his client would probably be happy with the extra height ap- proved, but not in the fact the distance had been reduc- ed from 650 feet to 350 feet. The motion, however, carried a stipulation that the extra 300 feet be considered again next year and Coun- cillor Gaylan Josephson said he hoped it was understood that that did not mean coun- cil would agree to pay the total cost for any fence to be erected next year. Evans suggested that the precedent had been set in that council had already erected a fence along the west side of the rec centre parking lot at no expense to the ratepayers who share that boundary line. It was indicated that Dow shares a common boundary of approximately 1,800 feet with the community park. He said it is a challenge for the ministry of education to make the new Act work for the best of every child. The ministry will help boards by sending ministry people to act as a liaison and to hold meetings. He said there is a good commitment so far and while there is some concern about the costs, the Bill is in place now. Superintendent John McCauley said to this reporter following the meeting that the Huron - Perth Catholic board has a solid base of special educa- tion programming with its present general disability classes at three schools - primary -junior at; St. Joseph's School and in- termediates at St. Michael's School, both in Stratford and all grades at 41 Joseph's School in Clinton. He said there is a con- tinuum of services right in the classroom with the teacher identifying and set- ting the program, and if she needs help she can go to the special education resource teacher in each of the 19 schools in the system (50 percent in each school). The third step when the school has exhausted these two alternatives, and with the parent's co-operation, to apply to the Program Place- ment and Review Com- mittee to review the child's needs in light of the possibility of both changes in program and placement. Mrs. Posno complimented the board on having a fairly sophisticated special educa- tion system at this time with 10 or 12 special education teachers. In other business the board finalized the sale of a por- table classroom at St. Joseph's School in Clinton'to the Clinton Kinsmen's Club for $2,000. The portable is to be removed from the school property by May 15. The next meeting of the board will be held January 26. Medical Continued from front page man committee has been• to Toronto and taken a look at some other buildings. The building will accom- modate seven or eight doc- tors. The building will be owned by the community, because doctors do not seem to like to own their own buildings anymore, said Hoffman. He said that the rent would not be high. Contacting the doctors has been done by the committee of Mervyn Tieman and Anthony Martene. Dashwood has been without a doctor since the death of Dr. Voldemars Gulens, who died Last March. He had been prac- ticing in the area for more than 25 years. Court Continued from front page A passenger in Collins' car. James Clarence Couture. aged 18, of RR 1 Hay. was also charged with possession of narcotics. Both had good character references and neither had previous records. Both were conditionally discharged and given probation. Harold Gordon Bender, RR I Hay, was found guilty of having a firearm dangerous to the public, and was fined $300 or 30 days. On October 8, Bender and a passenger were said to be parked off Hay sidroad 5, about 350 yards from a house. After Bender was asked to move on by the owner of the property, the owner's wife heard two shots near the house. Police were called and a shot gun with two empty shells was found in the trunk of Bender's car. There was no indication the shots were directed at the owner, and the wind was blamed that the shotgun pellets landed near the house. Bender apologized to the owner, and the fact that he and his passenger had been drinking was blamed for the bad behaviour. Bender was also prohibited from owning any firearms for a period of one year. Industrial Continued from front page regarding promotion and in- formation; 5. Promotion of Exeter. The committee agreed to invite Spence Cummings of the Huron County Develop- ment office to the next meeting. Commenting on the com- mittee's request for one mill, Councillor Gaylen Josephson said it would be money well spent. LUNCH TIME AT THE PINERY — Jeff Lingard, Melissa De Brun, Michael Whitney and Sean Rumball enjoy hot dogs cooked by their teacher Mrs. Murdock. Grand Bend Public School visited the park Friday Staff photo Times -Advocate, January 21, 1981 Counselling Assistance to Small Enterprises Page a GET YOUR BUSINESS BACK IN THE BLACK! 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