Parents say classroom support under Jordan's Principle cut for ...

Two Corner Brook, N.L., mothers say they're fighting a battle to get school support for their children and worry that diminishing help for Indigenous children will mean their kids will fall behind. 

Both Jennifer Broadbent and Terri-Lynn Herritt get school support for their sons under Jordan's Principle, a federal policy meant to enable First Nations children to access products, support and services.

Broadbent's son Obie has a neurodevelopmental disorder called PURA Syndrome. He's non-verbal and requires help with walking, feeding and going to the toilet. Through Jordan's Principle, Obie received a one-on-one student assistant throughout the school day.

Going into the new school year, her son was expected to start Grade 3,  but she was told his time would be split amongst other Indigenous children and he would be getting 1.5 hours of one-on-one support in the classroom.

"That doesn't make sense to me at all. I mean, it's not even an invisible disability. When you see Obie, it's in your face. You need one-on-one support. It's not safe. It's a safety issue," Broadbent recently told CBC News.

Under this change, she said she won't bring Obie to school. 

"It is not safe. I can't bring him in. So that means he's not in school when he should be," said Broadbent.

"He just can't be there without the support. And that's really, really sad."

Herritt's son Theo is neurodivergent and is able to learn the curriculum, but he can be overwhelmed by sensory stimuli.

Last year, Theo had a one-on-one instructional resource teacher for five hours a day, she said.

"It was his most successful year yet," said Herritt.

Now, Theo will get 45 minutes of instruction per day. Herritt is worried he won't be able to keep up with his classmates in Grade 3.

"There's no other way that his needs are going to be met," said Herritt.

She has reservations about her son starting school and what Theo will get out of it.

"If I'm being honest, it's going to be more of a child care situation rather than an actual learning experience," Herritt said. "And that makes me really worried for his future."

Students left out

Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador's advocacy manager Leah Farrell said she hears stories of families struggling to access support in schools across the province.

"We're just questioning if there's a lack of resources, then what's the action? What's being done to solve that lack of resources?" said Farrell.

She said the education system is falling short of being inclusive for its students.

The instructional support for children like Theo is vital for autistic students, said Farrell.

Without the support, students aren't reaching their potential, she said, adding her organization has heard cases of children only getting 20 minutes of instructional support a day.

"I know the teams around the province are working very hard to increase that. And they feel like their hands are tied and they're really great people out there. It's just there needs to be more support," said Farrell.

While Jordan's Principle is an important federal service, she said it shouldn't be seen as a long-term solution to address a lack of school resources.

"If education is a provincial issue, then we need to have the provincial government — the Department of Education — look more closely at what those long-term solutions are," said Farrell.

Without proper support, she warned parents are deciding to homeschool their children.

"We can talk about this over and over and over again. But if there are no solid actions and plans that we can see actually happening, then it's all for naught."

WATCH |  These Corner Brook parents want more one-on-one support for their son who has a disability:

Mike and Jennifer Broadbent’s son, Obie, has PURA syndrome, a rare condition that only a few hundred people in the world have. He requires one-on-one student assistance while at school, but this year that’s been cut back to just 1.5 hours. The Broadbents tell the CBC’s Colleen Connors they’re angry and their son deserves to be supported.

Indigenous Services Canada, which oversees Jordan's Principle, declined an interview. The department said it would send a statement, which didn't arrive before deadline.

CBC News asked the Department of Education for an interview, and was instead sent an emailed statement on Monday afternoon.

Spokesperson Lynn Robinson said the department is unable to speak to individual cases, citing privacy concerns, and that supports allocated through Jordan's Principle are funded and provided by the federal government. The statement also said the province is unaware of any cases where a non-Indigenous student has received support from Jordan's Principle.

Broadbent said there needs to be more support in the school, not less, and that will help keep her son in the classroom.

"They deserve to be in the school. They deserve to be learning, and they definitely deserve to be safe," said Broadbent.

Herritt wants to see the same support her son had in the last school year.

"I don't really care where that funding comes from, as long as he gets it," said Herritt.

Teachers do what they can

Trent Langdon, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association, said teachers do what they can with the resources they are given.

"Bottom line, we're hearing similar things that there's nowhere near enough resources out there to meet all the needs that are coming to the doors," said Langdon.

He said Newfoundland and Labrador has been fortunate to get funding from federal programs including Jordan's Principle, that provide assistance.

"But by no means should that be the main way of supporting children on the ground. There's certainly a provincial responsibility," said Langdon.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Whitten is a journalist and editor based in St. John's.