Family Support Institute has put out a press release about the exclusion tracker expanding across Canada.
“Exclusion of children with disabilities is a national crisis, and the Exclusion Tracker is a tool to ensure every child can belong in school,” said Dr. Gordon Porter, Executive Director, Inclusive Education Canada.”
“The provincial Tracker has been cited by the BC Ombudsperson, as well as by Canadian researchers in the Civil Society Parallel Report for Canada to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Committee (UN CRPD). Now, the Tracker’s national rollout—and the first childcare exclusion tracker of its kind—makes the hidden reality of systemic exclusion impossible to ignore.”
The exclusion tracker was created by parents within BCEdAccess. They saw a need and they did something about it. You never know where your advocacy efforts will lead, and you never know how it will evolve. Their creation has now blossomed into a national tracking device, not just for schools but for child care too. I will always quote the BC Human Rights Commissioner when she was referring to the importance of data. “We need to be undeniable.” To read about the history of the exclusion tracker, click here.
Ombudsperson has launched an investigation into exclusion titled “Fairness in BC Schools”. This investigation was triggered by parents filing complaints. Filing external complaints can lead to systemic change, and this is an example. BC Ombudsperson states:
“We are looking into situations where BC’s public K-12 schools are asking or telling students not to come to school. Our ongoing investigation will look at whether these practices are fair. We want to hear from students, families and education professionals across the province.”
Together, we can bring more awareness to the depth of these inequities. Thank you, Family Support Institute and a huge thank you to all of the families filling out the tracker. Your experiences matter and they will create the data needed for systemic change.
If your child is experiencing exclusion, please fill out the exclusion tracker. To fill out the exclusion tracker, click on the link below.
National Exclusion Tracker – Report an exclusion
To read the press release from the Family Support Institute, click here.
BCEdAccess Society 