Latest news with #EPSB
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Commitment remains': Why Edmonton Public Schools is phasing out seclusion rooms
Edmonton Public Schools is continuing to phase out the use of seclusion rooms, spaces once used to isolate students during crisis situations, in favour of more supportive, inclusive approaches. A report presented to the Edmonton Public Schools' Board (EPSB) this week shows the division is steadily reducing both the number of seclusion rooms in schools and how often they're used. EPSB superintendent Darrel Robertson said the ultimate goal is to eliminate the need for seclusion rooms altogether. 'Believe me when I say, folks, I don't want seclusion rooms in our division at all,' Robertson told trustees at last week's board meeting. The report describes a seclusion room as a small, enclosed space intended for use in emergency situations when a student's behaviour poses a serious and imminent risk to themselves or others. The use of these rooms have long drawn criticism from parents and advocacy groups. But according to EPSB's report, their use is strictly regulated under both provincial standards and the division's internal policy. Staff must be specially trained, and seclusion is only used when all de-escalation and preventative strategies have failed. These rooms' use must be included in a student's individual behaviour support plan, developed in collaboration with parents, who maintain the right to deny seclusion as an option, Robertson said. 'We respect that,' he said. 'We just need to work in collaboration on alternative, emergent plans. Exclusion rooms are only to be used in the event of an emergent situation where there is imminent danger to, you know, self harm or the harm of others, and it's only for the time of dysregulation.' As of May 1, 2025, there are 105 seclusion rooms across the division, down from 167 one year prior, a reduction of 62 rooms. These reductions were achieved in part through official 'de-commissioning' processes where schools remove the door and shift the space to a different use. To encourage the transition, the division supplied schools with sensory materials to transform the rooms into sensory/self-regulation spaces, which are calming environments equipped with tools to help students manage their emotions and sensory needs. For existing seclusion rooms, decommissioning begins with physically altering the space. 'First of all, the door comes off, there's no longer a doo with any kind of blocking mechanism,' Robertson said. Between June and August 2024, 24 rooms were decommissioned and repurposed. Another 38 followed between September 2024 and May 2025. Not all uses of these spaces qualify as seclusion. More than half of the 1,240 uses recorded between September 2024 and April 2025 were self-selected by students, meaning the student chose to enter the space to calm down or work quietly, and the door remained open. These are not counted as seclusion. But 445 uses, or 35.89 per cent, were non-self-selected, where a student was placed in the room during a crisis or emergency. The division's approach to behavioural support has shifted toward proactive strategies, including staff training, relationship-building, and de-escalation techniques, so that crisis situations are avoided before they arise. 'Moving forward with our interactions programs, we're no longer constructing seclusion rooms,' said Robertson. 'We're constructing sensory spaces… with appropriate lighting, with appropriate, different materials for children so that it becomes a sensory room experience. They are not, I repeat, not to be used as a seclusion room.' The new spaces are meant to be part of the regular classroom environment, accessible, inclusive, and tailored to meet the unique needs of each student, said the report. Some parents and advocates worry that moving seclusion room updates into the division's Annual Education Results Review (AERR), rather than continuing to present it as a standalone board report, could limit opportunities for public discussion at board meetings. But EPSB board chairwoman Julie Kusiek defended the move, saying it actually elevates the importance of the issue. 'The AERR is the division's key accountability document for the work that we undertake in our governance role as trustees, and our progress towards our division's strategic plan,' she said. 'So by reporting on progress towards our strategic plan and an expectation that the use of seclusion rooms is included in that report, we're really strengthening the accountability. And we have our target for this, which is we're moving towards zero seclusion rooms.' She added that concerns about transparency are welcome and encouraged, and families should continue to reach out to their trustees. Public conversations about seclusion room use will still be possible, she said, particularly in any reports dealing with student safety or sense of belonging. 'There's certainly going to continue to be opportunities to have public discussion on the use of seclusion rooms,' Kusiek said. 'And we, for certain, will be expecting that through the AERR every single year.' The focus remains on adopting and expanding practices that have proven successful across the division, Kusiek said. While some families are relieved to see progress, she told reporters, others are frustrated that the practice hasn't yet been eliminated entirely. 'There is celebration here in terms of the movement towards the reduction in the number of seclusion rooms and the use of seclusion rooms,' Kusiek said. 'And as we heard from the superintendent, our goal remains to continue to improve our practices so that the use of these rooms is no longer required.' Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, reporting on seclusion room usage will be included in the division's AERR. The division also plans to: Continue providing professional learning for staff; Monitor and decommission unused seclusion rooms; Support the shift to sensory/self-regulation spaces based on student needs. While the use of seclusion has not yet been eliminated, Robertson says the division is committed to doing better. 'We've enhanced our professional learning, but we clearly have more work to do,' he said. 'Our commitment remains. We are going to continue to work towards the elimination of seclusion rooms… which I hope one day is zero.' cnguyen@ 'Last resort': Parents urge Edmonton Public Schools to end seclusion rooms Seclusion room use shows a "failure of imagination": advocate
Calgary Herald
26-05-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Learning, inclusion, mental health top Edmonton Public Schools education plan
Article content Edmonton Public Schools (EPSB) is entering the final year of its 2022–2026 Four-Year Education Plan, reaffirming its commitment to student success, mental health, and anti-racism initiatives. Article content Article content As the division prepares to welcome over 120,000 students in the upcoming school year, the final year's plan aims to guide efforts across the division, remaining focused on enhancing pathways to success for all students. Article content Article content What's the Four-Year Education Plan? Article content Article content Each year, EPSB submits a Four-Year Education Plan to Alberta Education, aligning it with the approved budget. Article content The plan is developed using data, stakeholder engagement, provincial planning documents, and the division's own strategic plan. Progress on the plan's actions will be reported in fall 2025 through the Annual Education Results Report (AERR) and results review process. Article content Brought before trustees for approval on Friday, the plan outlines the division's strategic goals and provincial assurance framework, reporting cycles, and funding manual for the 2025–2026 school year. Article content What are the division's priorities? Article content The plan is built around three key priority areas. Article content 1. How is EPSB supporting student learning? Article content Under 'Priority One: Outstanding learning opportunities,' the division is focused on helping teachers implement new curriculum to build on outstanding learning opportunities for all students, the report said. Article content Article content For example, targeted professional learning and resources for Kindergarten to grade 6 teachers has been well received, with 84 per cent of certificated staff who accessed support saying it was helpful, according to Division Feedback Survey (DFS) results. Article content Article content The plan emphasizes evidence-based strategies to support strong literacy and numeracy outcomes and ensures learning remains responsive to the needs of all students. Experiential opportunities will also help students explore and plan for their futures.
Edmonton Journal
26-05-2025
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Learning, inclusion, mental health top Edmonton Public Schools education plan
Article content Edmonton Public Schools (EPSB) is entering the final year of its 2022–2026 Four-Year Education Plan, reaffirming its commitment to student success, mental health, and anti-racism initiatives. As the division prepares to welcome over 120,000 students in the upcoming school year, the final year's plan aims to guide efforts across the division, remaining focused on enhancing pathways to success for all students.
CBC
02-04-2025
- General
- CBC
The Autism Centre of Excellence school is moving to the planning phase. But not all parents are happy
Edmonton Public Schools is planning a dedicated school for students with autism they say will offer an enhanced learning environment and increase capacity, but which some parents and advocates warn is a setback for education. The Autism Centre of Excellence school received planning funding from the province last December and was approved in the 2026-29 Capital Plan at Tuesday's school board meeting. The idea is to convert an existing school site into a space dedicated to providing support for the division's growing number of autistic students. It would include learning environments tailored to autistic students, increased capacity for support, enhanced programming and training, and a student transition hub, a report tabled Tuesday says. But parents of kids with disabilities like Nicole Renaud and Rajesh Kumar are worried it creates a segregated system. "Disabled students are just beginning to recover from a nine-week targeted exclusion from EPSB schools," Renaud said at the meeting, referring to students who were asked to stay home during the recent support worker strike. "And now EPSB is looking for ways to segregate disabled students further as a priority in their planning." About 40 per cent of autistic students enrol in specialized interactions programming, a style of education designed to improve communication, social interaction and behaviour while developing academic skills. The other 60 per cent chose to be integrated into a regular classroom. But Kumar said parents are increasingly being pushed away from the integrated model and told they will get better support in the interactions program. Kumar is worried the new school will further incentivize underresourcing at neighbourhood schools. "I know many parents like me are not being heard. We are looking to see the division deliver the support teachers need to provide an inclusive education," Kumar said. Kumar and advocates from Inclusion Alberta said integrated classrooms provide the best outcomes for disabled students. "Segregated schools for students with disabilities are neither new nor innovative," Inclusion Alberta director Philip Ney told the meeting. "Such schools were created because students with disabilities were long denied their right to a public education." Superintendent Darrel Robertson said their model has shown success, but acknowledged the division doesn't have all the answers. "We don't have everything figured out in terms of supporting all of our children to be successful," Robertson said. "And I'm not sure there is a school division in the world that does." Over the past six years, 75 per cent of all new classes established by EPSB have been dedicated to the interactions program, the report says. The new school would allow the division to address that growth, and also provides parent choice, Robertson said. "Planning funding for an Autism Centre of Excellence gives us an opportunity to dream a little bit about what could be," Robertson said. "It's not meant to provide a segregation model in the school division for children on the spectrum." He said the only person who can direct a student placement is the superintendent — and that direction is only given in exceptional circumstances. Robertson said there are more than 3,000 autistic students in the school division. There are about 120,000 students in the total school population. "We're willing to roll up our sleeves and we want to support and love and care for our kids in the best way possible," Robertson said. Saadiq Sumar, the trustee for Ward G, voted against the motion because of concerns raised by parents and advocates. "Given the comments from some of the speakers I have doubts," Sumar said. He noted the plan had to be submitted to the province that day, and already had funding allocated to it, leaving little room for amendments.
