Striving to ensure education, respite for all

I hope that you had a great summer with your families. Allow me to wish you, your children and their school staff an enjoyable and successful school year!

In late August, as parents learned of the shortage of teachers a few days before the beginning of the school year, my thoughts went particularly to parents like us who have children with special needs. I cringe to imagine the shortage of speech therapists and other special educators who are needed to assist our children.

This fall, I will be calling on the CAQ government to call and study Private Members’ Bill 398 to enshrine the right of handicapped students and students with social maladjustments or learning disabilities to receive educational services equivalent to those provided by their school, if their school is unable to do so. Bill 398 was deposited by my colleague from Westmount– Saint-Louis, MNA Jennifer Maccarone.

In the winter of 2022, no less than 1,500 students with special needs were sent home from their schools because they did not have the resources they needed. When this happens, their parents are required to take over their child’s education and, in many cases, have to stop working to do so. This is unacceptable. Article 1 of Quebec’s Education Act says “Every person is entitled to the preschool education services and elementary and secondary school instructional services provided for by this Act...” The Legault government claims that its priority is student success, but apparently that does not apply to all students.

In September, I participated in a public campaign alongside the Quebec Intellectual Disability Society, the Fédération québécoise de l’autisme and the Coalition des parents d’enfants à besoins particuliers du Québec, asking the government to provide all students with the necessary resources for student success.

I will also continue to put pressure on the Minister of Social Services to reform the Family Support Program, which has not been indexed since its inception in 1995. This program is designed to provide support to families and loved ones who reside with one or more people who have a physical or intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder, by providing financial assistance for them to access respite or babysitting services. The amounts allocated by the government for these services amount to $3.75 to $5.25 per hour. Clearly the program is completely out of touch with 2023’s financial realities; it’s absolutely outrageous.

It’s going to be a busy Fall in Quebec City, and I promise to be your voice at the National Assembly and to hold the government accountable to our kids and families. We are stronger together, and I will carry your voices, your concerns and your needs to the decision makers in Quebec City so that we can work together to help our children achieve their potential.

Please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can provide you with information or be of assistance.

Elisabeth Prass is the MNA for D’Arcy-McGee and the Official Opposition Critic for Social Services, Mental Health, for People Living with a Disability or with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and for the Fight Against Homelessness. She can be reached at elisabeth.prass.dmg@assnat.qc.ca or 514.488.7028.