The parents of a seven-year-old boy with autism, who was tragically hit by a city bus in Hamilton last month, believe their son should have been in school on the day of the accident but was sent home due to insufficient special needs resources.
Chris and Emily Simao share that their son Max, who was non-verbal and had autism, had been placed on a modified schedule at school in October after they were informed there was no educational assistant available to help him.
On the afternoon of December 11, Max was heading home with his mom when he was struck by a Hamilton Street Railway bus and later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
According to Hamilton police, based on witness accounts and video evidence from the scene, they do not believe that either the bus driver or the child’s caregiver contributed to this “devastating” event.
The Simao family feels that Max loved attending school but was unfairly deprived of an education when he was put on a modified schedule, which they attribute to “chronic underfunding.”
“We feel robbed and cheated out of a future with Max. We are so heartbroken and mad. He should still be here with us,” said Chris Simao.
Kate Dudley-Logue, vice-president of the Ontario Autism Coalition, reports that 25 percent of students with special education needs aren’t attending school full days primarily because schools lack adequate resources. Approximately 115,000 students with disabilities faced some form of exclusion from school over the past year.
Dudley-Logue is urging the Ford government to increase funding for schools and hire more special education workers.
“This crisis didn’t start with this government, but this government chose to make it worse. This government has been in power since before Max was born,” stated Ontario NDP Autism Program Critic Alexa Gilmour.
“Look at the size of this government’s budget. And they can’t make sure every child can go to school?” questioned Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles.
In response at an unrelated press conference Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford mentioned that the Ontario government is providing “an unprecedented amount” of funding aimed at hiring educators.
“We’re funding more than any government in the history of our province and we’re going to continue to fund it,” Ford said. “We’re actually going to be hiring 6,000 educators on both sides – actual educators and EAs.”
Ford also noted that his administration is looking into options for shortening teachers’ college from its current two-year format down to just one year in order to tackle severe shortages and attract more educators.
“All you ever hear is talk. Look where talk got us,” remarked Simao.
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