There has been a lot of discussion about the Room Clear Tracker that was created by the Surrey District Parent Advisory Committee. A lot of disability advocates and parents/caregivers have been digesting the idea and sharing their opinions online. There is a mix of feelings. Very valid concerns and hope for change. It hasn’t been sitting well with a lot of people. Others are hopeful.
When we want to create social change, there is never one right way of doing it. We have no manual. As long as we are constantly trying to push the line and create change, we are walking into unknown territory. I have personally felt like I have been watching a social experiment unfold in front of me regarding this topic.
I do want to acknowledge that it takes a lot of courage to stick your neck out and try something new. Leadership is hard work. It’s scary sometimes. At least it is for me. We all want to create change, and we are desperate. Desperate for something big, because it has become this hard. It feels like nothing seems to be making any significant change, at least not enough, and we are trying absolutely everything. Screaming for people to pay attention to us. To see us. To be aware. Desperately trying to move the needle. These are our kids, and we are personally witnessing the devastating effects. Real long-lasting harm is occurring.
We know that people in positions of power need data before they act. Without it, we don’t exist. How and what they have data on will paint the picture. Let’s be honest. People in positions of power will take data and manipulate it however they like. They will argue they don’t have enough of it, or the right kind of data. It’s ridiculous. Every time we enter the maze, they move all of the walls, and we are trying to figure out a new maze. This isn’t by accident. It’s by design.
Some of the concerns about the data are well-founded. There are concerns about it not being student-centred. That families will feel even more ostracized and excluded. School districts will be creating segregated classrooms because of it, and we will all be moving backwards in the inclusion movement.
There is already a lot of discussion about the return of segregated classrooms, long before this tracker. Families are already excluded and ostracized by people in their communities when a room clear event occurs, long before this tracker was created. The question becomes, will this tracker intensify these situations already or be the flashlight on issues that people don’t want to discuss? Will this create the data that will force the government to step in and do something?
This is the social experiment part. We don’t know.
What we are experiencing is fear of the unknown.
There are multiple opinions about this tracker from many families. We may see different sides of the coin. But underneath all of it is the same desire for change. We may disagree with how we get there, but we all want to improve the lives and families of students who are neurodivergent and people with disabilities. Our roots are the same.
BCEdAccess is a parent-led organization. We listen to parents. All parents and caregivers. There are many people out there with hopes and fears around this tracker. Many people are angry and scared. We see the hope for change and we see the fear. We want to hear from all of you. We are asking parents to send us your thoughts and concerns and experiences as this tracker progresses.
While people’s views that this tracker is not in line with the “nothing about us, without us” and is not amplifying the students’ point of view, maybe that just tells us that we need to ask the questions, how do we make that so?
Public policy is always tested. There is a pilot project, and in a few years, it will be reviewed. Decisions are made on whether to continue or not. What needs to be tweaked or changed? Feedback is analyzed. Changes are made. Tested again. More feedback. If it does well, the program expands. It grows, gets larger. Just like with our own exclusion tracker. It grew. It has developed and is now national.
It will be a natural progression of development, and this tracker will tweak or develop as they receive feedback. Nothing is perfect when it starts out. Ever.
There is always the tension between privacy and advocacy. That will always be a discussion of where that line is drawn. We don’t want to do more harm than good, in hopes that change will occur. Because, all of this, we can’t predict. We just don’t know. It’s a risk. Do we want to not risk trying new things? That is fine too. If we as a community don’t want to do that.
The point is, we want to to hear from all of you parents. Who are out there living this. We want to hear from the advocates who are going to be taking this data and doing something with it.
I encourage people to continue the discussion and share with us your views. This is new territory for all of us. What can we learn from this? We are all trying to move the needle and increase supports in a very scarce education climate. We want change in education!
BCEdAccess Society 