The teacher shortage is hitting the school adjustment groups hard, where there are students with severe difficulties.
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According to school staff, the consequences are sometimes “dramatic”, while several non-legally qualified teachers have to be called in to reinforce the situation.
Kallie, 14, has no teacher in his specialty class this year. A special education technician serves students with autism spectrum disorders, as has been the case for much of the past year, which has been marked by high staff turnover.
“We were not given a work plan. My daughter relapsed, she had major behavior problems,” laments her mother, Angele Belisle, who lives in Gatineau.
The lack of qualified teachers in special education groups also has a significant impact on other staff.
“Exhausted”
At a Montreal-area technical school, more than a third of teaching positions were vacant at the start of the school year, according to the principal, who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to discuss with Le Journal.
However, improper tampering can help “compromise” the safety of staff and students, she says. “We are already exhausted, we carry it at a distance. The collateral damage of COVID-19 is very felt, those who were vulnerable are even more so,” she adds.
At another specialty school, also located in the Montreal area, almost half of the teachers do not have a teaching certificate. “It’s getting bigger every year. Everyone is doing their best, but our students have big, big challenges. It puts more pressure on other employees,” says its director, who also requested anonymity for the same reasons.
“Disaster Predicted”
For its part, the Coalition of Parents of Children with Special Needs of Quebec is speaking out loud and clear about the situation.
Bianca Nugent
superior coalition
“It’s an announced disaster. Our children are the weakest in Quebec, they deserve more,” emphasizes its President Bianca Nugent.
The situation is similar on the part of the autonomous educational association.
“It’s a bit dramatic when the students with the greatest needs end up with the least trained teachers. Dealing with learning difficulties cannot be improvised,” says its President Mélanie Hubert.
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