Policy/Program Memorandum No. 85

Issued under the authority of the Deputy Minister of Education

1. Educational Programs in Government Approved Facilities for the Care and Treatment of Children With Special Needs, December 1982
2. This memorandum replaces Financial/ Architectural Memorandum #14B, dated November 18, 1982.

The Ministry of Education believes that the education of school-age pupils must not suffer if they are required to attend government-approved facilities for care and/or treatment purposes. As far as possible, these persons should attend regular or special education classes in local schools. However, in cases where pupils cannot attend local schools because of their need for care and/or treatment, suitable educational programs which recognize the primacy of the care and/or treatment needs may be provided by the school board within the facilities. Arrangements for the provision of such educational programs for persons of school age in these facilities should be developed jointly by the staff of these facilities and board personnel.

1. Provision of Educational Programs in Care and/or Treatment Facilities

   1. General Terms and Conditions
      At the request of a government-approved care and treatment facility located within its jurisdiction, a school board may enter into a written agreement to provide educational programs in the facility for those pupils who cannot attend local schools because of their need for care and/or treatment. A school board may employ one or more qualified teachers to provide such educational programs in the facility.
      
      Where a school board and a government-approved care and/or treatment facility enter into an agreement for the provision of an educational program, the facility must provide one or more suitable classrooms in the facility for the educational program, as well as the necessary support staff to maintain the care and/or treatment programs, as required, while the pupil is in the educational program.
      
   2. Role of the Teacher
      A teacher employed to provide an educational program in a care and/or treatment facility may be required to perform any or all of the following duties:
      1. provide classroom instruction for pupils in the facility;
      2. collect information about the child from the school board and transmit it to staff of the facility;
      3. act as a member of a diagnostic, assessment, and treatment team;
      4. provide treatment and care staff with information regarding the school system which may assist in making decisions pertaining to discharge, program development, and relevant contacts;
      5. develop educational programs (in co-operation with the staff of the facility and staff of the receiving school) for pupils who may be returning to their local schools;
      6. provide and interpret information to school officials based upon the findings of the staff of the facility;
      7. supervise the educational program.
      
      Teachers performing these types of duties are expected to maintain contact with all boards which would normally have jurisdiction over the pupils attending the facility.
      
      Educational consultation and supervision will be provided to the teachers by the supervisory officer of the school board. The supervisory officer of the board (or a designate) and the director of the facility will consult regularly to ensure that the needs of each pupil are being met as effectively as possible.
      
   3. Funding
      The cost incurred by a board as a result of the employment of teachers to provide such educational programs and of teacher-aides to assist these teachers may he approved for grant purposes by the Minister of Education. Where approved, the Ministry of Education will reimburse the school board in accordance with the General Legislative Grants regulation for:
      • the salary of the teacher and related employee benefits;
      • the salary of the teacher-aide and related employee benefits;
      • an additional amount per teacher and per teacher-aide in respect of the expenditure of a board for administrative, consultative, and supervisory services, for replacement of furniture and equipment, and for the purchase of instructional supplies;
      • an additional amount per classroom in the facility for the approved portion of the expenditure for furniture and equipment. (The maximum amount is $3300 per classroom.)

2. Attendance in Local Schools

   Where a pupil who is a resident of an approved facility is able to attend a local school, the board may designate the pupil as either "resident-internal" or "non-resident".
   
   1. For each pupil designated as a "non-resident" pupil, the Minister of Education pays the school board an amount equal to the cost of education in accordance with the General Legislative Grants regulation. Where a pupil is placed in a high-cost special education program, a high-cost factor may be applied as provided in the Calculation of Fees for Pupils regulation. In applicable cases, the high-cost factor may be negotiated between officials of the school board and the regional office of the Ministry of Education.

   2. Where a pupil from an approved facility is designated as a "resident-internal" pupil of the board, that pupil is included in the board's total enrolment. In such cases, funding is provided under the regular grant structure.