Parents highlight lack of support for children with Down syndrome in B.C. schools

We’re nearly a month into the school year in B.C., but for parents of children with Down syndrome, there appears to be a major lack of support in many schools.

Tamara Taggart, the president of Down syndrome BC, tells CityNews that she’s heard from many parents that their kids have not yet been integrated into the classroom.

“There’s still lots of kids at home because the school classroom is not set up for them to learn,” she said.

Some children have been TOLD to stay home a day, a week, or more, with no education assistant (EA, SSA) assigned (or hired) to support them.

Some kids come to class, and their EA is changing everyday. Kids who thrive with routine have yet to see any semblance of one./2

— Down syndrome BC (@downsyndromebc) September 28, 2023

Taggart shared one story she’s heard of an eight-year-old nonverbal autistic girl with Down syndrome who recently started the year at a new school.

“She spent the first two weeks of her school sitting on the floor. She was the only student in the classroom without a desk or a chair. She finally got a desk in the third week of school, and that desk and chair was put in the cloakroom,” she explained.

“That is not inclusion. That is teaching every other student in the classroom that that child is different, and that child goes somewhere different.”

Tamara Taggart (pictured), the president of Down syndrome BC. (Source: tamarataggart.com)

In other cases, Taggart says, kids are being asked to stay home at least one day a week, often more.

“Never mind what it does for the parents. It’s not about the parents. We are trying to get people to listen to us, and nobody is listening,” she said.

“We’re labelled as ‘difficult’ if we try to raise an issue.”

Taggart points to a nearly $700 million investment by the B.C. government in 2021 into support for special needs children in schools, wondering what the money is being used for.

“No one knows how that money was spent,” she said, adding the government has told her to check with individual school boards to find out how they use the money.

In a statement to CityNews, B.C. education minister Rachna Singh says she’s heard the concerns from Down syndrome BC.

“All students should feel safe, welcome and included in B.C. schools and should have access to a learning environment where they can achieve their full potential,” she said.