Mother fights to keep teaching help for autistic son

A Moncton, N.B., mother is fighting to keep her 10-year-old autistic son's full-time teacher's assistant after she was told his care was being cut by half when school starts next week.

'I don't want him wandering the halls or hiding in closets and bathrooms at school any longer.' — Monique Robichaud

Monique Robichaud, whose son Jeremy has Asperger's syndrome, said he's had a full-time teacher's assistant for the past few years.

But Robichaud said the Department of Education's budget cuts mean Jeremy will only get a teacher's assistant for half the time.

Robichaud's son hasn't always had a full-time worker with him, and she said she's worried he will be overwhelmed and regress if he's left on his own again.

"I think now is just the most crucial time heading into Grade 4 to keep that support in place for him. Now is not the time to cut it," Robichaud said.

"I don't want him wandering the halls or hiding in closets and bathrooms at school any longer."

Robichaud said that she assumed that when the New Brunswick government restored $2.9 million for school support workers and library assistants that her son's full-time teacher's assistant would also be maintained.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2745, which represents many support staff who were initially laid off by the budget cuts, blasted the provincial government last week for not hiring everyone back.

CUPE said only three-quarters of the 588 people who received layoff notices due to the original cut have been rehired.

The Department of Education has said that a cut of five per cent to the overall budget is partly to blame for reductions in the hours of some school support workers.

As of last week, department officials said that numbers already filed by eight of the 14 school districts indicate that only 21 workers are being laid off. And some of those layoffs are due to other factors, such as declining enrolment in some districts.

Luc Lajoie, the director of finance and administration for School District 1, where Robichaud's son is a student, said no teacher's assistants have been cut because of budget restrictions.

Lajoie said all students are evaluated regularly to make sure they have the resources they need to progress.

He said the goal is for teacher's assistants to teach students how to learn independently and for hours to be gradually reduced.

Lajoie said an increase in local enrolment means there are added demands on the teacher's assistants in the system.