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Sep 20, 2026 at 6:04 pm
School Trustee 73 - TEA1
Darryl Schmidt asks:
Students with diverse needs: Do you believe students with disabilities, learning difficulties, behavioural challenges, and other additional needs are receiving adequate support in SD73? What changes, if any, would you advocate for?
Candidate Answers
This is a really complicated question to answer with one overarching response. I think there are students whose needs are being well supported, and there are also students whose needs require additional support. The complexity of classrooms has increased significantly, and that has created a different reality for students, teachers and support staff.
The move toward greater inclusion, including the closure of district resource rooms, has also changed how supports are provided, and I think we need to continue looking at how we find the right balance.
As a Board, I have and will continue to ask questions about innovation, resources and how we are supporting students and staff in responding to increasingly complex needs. When classrooms are regularly being disrupted, or when the needs of individual students are having a significant impact on the learning environment, we need to be asking whether the right supports, staffing and resources are in place for both students and employees. We also need to recognize that a student’s needs may not be fully met even when there is no disruption in the classroom, and that those students deserve the same attention and support.
I think that means looking at spaces that are flexible enough to respond to different needs, as well as staffing that can move around where support is needed. It is about recognizing that supporting one student should not come at the expense of the learning, safety and well-being of the other students in the classroom or the staff supporting them.
There is also a provincial responsibility here. School districts are dealing with increasingly complex classrooms, and I believe Boards need to continue advocating to the Province for the resources and supports required to meet those needs. Districts are also awaiting the report by the Ombudsman.
I think the goal is to ensure that students with additional needs are supported while also ensuring that all students and employees have a safe, respectful and effective learning environment.
