Educators optimistic about Sask.'s planned expansion of specialized support classrooms

As teachers continue to raise concerns about challenges in their classrooms, the Saskatchewan government has pledged to do better when it comes to education — including a plan to expand specialized support classrooms.

These classrooms are meant to support students with extra needs, whether they have a disability, are new to Canada or have language barriers. A $3.6-million pilot program announced in January saw eight schools offering this type of classroom. That will now expand to 200.

One educator describes this expansion of the pilot program as a potential "game-changer." 

"I'm coming into this [with] some cautious optimism because I think some of the messaging from Premier [Scott] Moe is actually aligning with our needs here in Regina," said Mark Haarmann, director of education and CEO of Regina Public Schools. 

He said specialized classrooms are less about pulling students into a separate space and more about helping the school community as a whole. 

"Having spoken to the professionals who run that classroom, as well as the principal … they look to pull kids out [of the regular classroom] for no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time," he said. 

"It's a complex series of check-ins and supports and trauma-informed care, zones of regulation being used as a tool to support learners in all their learning environments."

Isolating versus supporting

Some advocates have raised concerns about specialized support classrooms potentially isolating students with disabilities from their peers. 

Brittany Acton, director of initiatives at Inclusion Saskatchewan, said that since the pilot project was first announced in January, her organization has heard from parents questioning how these classrooms might be implemented in individual school divisions and schools. 

"What moments are they missing in the class?" she asked. There's also concerns about students getting the impression their peers don't need to be present for all the classes. "That's sort of the initial seeds that are planted that lead to exclusion later in life."

The Canadian Down Syndrome Society also issued a release expressing concern about the expansion.

"Separating students with disabilities, including those with Down syndrome, from their peers does more harm than good. It isolates them, reinforces negative stereotypes and social perceptions, and takes away their chance to be part of the school community where they can grow and learn alongside everyone else," it stated.

But teachers involved in these classrooms say that while they understand these concerns, they don't see segregation happening as a result of specialized support classrooms.

"Anytime we're working with students it's because they want to be with us," said Eve Reed, a specialized support teacher at Arcola Community School in Regina. 

Reed said her work takes her throughout the school, not just inside the dedicated classroom space, and that students are not forced to participate.

"They want somebody to talk to," she said, explaining there's a desire for students to have a safe space and trusting relationship outside of the regular classroom when they need it.

Saffron Panko, another specialized classroom teacher at the school, said the program has helped reduce difficult classroom incidents that may have escalated in the past and reduced the number of times a student must be sent to the principal's office.

"If a kid is having a hard time, we often will just get a little message on our phone or we'll be walking through the hallway and we can intercept that," Panko said. "Instead of all the explosions, there's little bubbles and we're jumping in and helping with those bubbles before they get too big."

The original pilot project included schools in North Battleford, Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina. 

Haarmann is hopeful more specialized classrooms will be announced for his division, as he feels confident they are helping both students and teachers focus on learning.

"I think it helps the culture and climate in the entire school."