What to know
- Parents say they were blindsided by the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s decision to relocate a MEDD (Multiple Exceptionalities/Developmental Disabilities) program from St. Matthew Catholic School, with some only learning through word of mouth.
- Families worry the change could disrupt major developmental progress for students with complex needs, and create new safety risks.
- The board says the program is not being cut but moved to a new, purpose-built space at St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School, promising the same level of support and services.
- Parents remain concerned about longer bus rides, lack of support during transportation, and a lack of clear reasoning, sparking a petition and planned protest.
Parents are urging the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) to immediately reverse a decision to relocate a Multiple Exceptionalities/Developmental Disabilities (MEDD) program, which they say could significantly impact their children.
Shanel Rodrigues tells Now Toronto it took nearly two years for her seven-year-old son Julian to be placed in a MEDD program classroom at St. Matthew Catholic School. Julian, who has Level 3 severe autism, struggles with eloping behaviours, which Rodrigues says has led to serious concerns in the past when he was enrolled in other programs.
Julian has now been in the program for nearly two years, and has made significant progress, which has brought him and his mother an added sense of safety.
“He’s progressing immensely. He’s made huge improvements. He feels safe and happy in this programme. He’s excited to go to school, as well as the other nine children in his class, and they’ve just overall been able to progress in this programme in ways that us parents never thought was even possible,” Rodrigues said.
The MEDD program at St. Matthew currently provides services for ten students with disabilities and special needs, including Julian, from specialized support to trained staff, and structured environments.
However, Rodrigues and other parents of students in the classroom were shocked to abruptly learn that the TCDSB is planning to close the program this fall.
Another parent, Diane Dias, said that she first heard the news through a parent from a different school, which she then confirmed with St. Matthew’s principal, who couldn’t explain why the board or the schools had not contacted parents directly with the news, or provide a reason for the closure.
“It’s just disgusting. The way the school board is handling these things, it’s all secrets. They have not told us anything,” Dias said.
“I’m really upset here. My daughter’s been in [this] school since kindergarten. She’s in Grade 3 now, [and] it’s been doing so well. We’ve been having more kids coming to this program. Why are we shutting down this program, at this school, when it’s been doing well and we have enough kids?”
Parents now worry that the closure might reverse the progress their children have made in the program, especially for those who have been in the program for longer. Without the extra support, some worry they might even have to take time off work to provide care.
“These are not the kind of teachers that are going to call you [to] come pick up your child. No, the teacher wants to keep the child at school, because that’s where he needs to be. As a mother, I wouldn’t be able to have a job if they were calling me every day to go pick him up at 12 p.m., and they never gave up. And now my son loves school,” Ana Castillo, another parent, added.
TCDSB says program is being relocated
In a statement to Now Toronto, TCDSB explained that the program is being relocated to a new building in St. Fidelis Catholic Elementary School, where students will receive the same level of care, starting September.
“St. Fidelis [is] a brand-new building that includes a purpose-built MEDD suite with modern, accessible, and specialized features designed to better support students with complex learning needs and enhance the overall student experience,” TCDSB wrote in an email.
“Students will continue to receive the same level of intensive support delivered by specialized staff, along with transportation.”
The board says the relocation is not related to budget considerations and is part of regular program planning to ensure students’ needs are being supported.
“The Board understands how important consistency and relationships are for MEDD students and will work closely with families to support a smooth transition,” it added.
Parents say they’ve only been officially informed of this relocation plan after they contacted the media to voice their concerns.
Although the board says the new facilities are equipped to meet their needs, parents say the relocation would require an additional 10-15 minute bus ride to the new school, which they say might create extra stress to students.
“Our children can’t go onto buses for even five minutes. There’s no support on school buses. Our children have high needs, right? And doing this to them is not allowing for that to be met…[Bus drivers] are also not trained to provide that support. God forbid something were to happen on the bus during transportation,” Rodrigues says.
In addition, they also say the board has yet to explain a reason for the relocation, especially as many say the current facilities have been more than adequate to accommodate students.
“It’s good that they’re building that school and that they are adding that to have another room, but why not just add other kids to that room with kids that are in that area and leave our kids where they are?” Castillo questioned.
Parents to protest the decision
Concerned parents are now speaking up and urging the TCDSB to stop the MEDD program relocation.
In an online petition, parents are sharing their children’s individual experiences with the program and calling on TCDSB Director of Education and Chief Executive Officer Brendan Browne to immediately reverse the decision. The petition has gathered over 2,050 in time of publication.
Meanwhile, parents are also organizing a demonstration at the Catholic Education Centre at 80 Sheppard Ave. E. on Wednesday evening to stress their concerns, and ask the board for an explanation to the closures.
“It’s taken a long time for them to get there. Taking this away from them would potentially cause digression and serious risk factors in their safety overall. We’re super devastated. We’re heartbroken,” Rodrigues said.
“We want answers. We want a reason as to why they’re closing it. Because we won’t accept the closure of the MEDD program at St. Matthews. There’s no evident reason for them to do such a thing that’s going to cause so much harm on people.”
