Unqualified teachers for students who are in great difficulty

The shortage of teachers severely damages school adjustment groups, as there are students who face great difficulties. The consequences are sometimes “tragic” according to staff at the school, while many legally unqualified teachers must be called in as reinforcements.

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In Kallie’s specialist class, 14, there is no teacher this year. A special education technician supervises students with autism spectrum disorder, as has been the case for most of the past year, which has been characterized by high staff turnover.

“We were not informed of any action plan. My daughter regressed, and she was having major behavioral problems,” cried her mother, Angeli Bailissell, who lives in Gatineau.

The lack of qualified teachers in special education groups also has a significant impact on other employees.

At a specialist school in the Montreal area, more than a third of teaching positions were vacant at the start of the school year, notes its principal, who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss with Le Journal.

However, inappropriate interventions can contribute to “compromising” the safety of staff and students, she says. “We are already exhausted, carrying it at arm’s length. The collateral damage of COVID-19 is very felt, and those who were at risk are even more so,”

In another specialized school, also located in the Montreal area, nearly half of teachers do not have a teaching certificate. “It’s getting bigger every year. Everyone is doing their best, but our students are facing big and big challenges. Its principal, who asked not to be identified for the same reasons, adds pressure to other employees.”

“Disaster Forecasting”

For its part, the Coalition of Parents of Children with Special Needs is denouncing the situation loud and clear. It is a declared disaster. Our children are the most vulnerable in Quebec, they deserve more”, insists the head of the organization, Bianca Nugent.

The story is similar by the Independent Education Association.

“It’s a bit exciting when it’s the students with the greatest needs who end up with the least trained teachers. Managing learning difficulties can’t be improvised,” says Melanie Hubert, president of the organization.

• Listen to the interview with Simon Landry on Philip Vincent Foissy’s show, which airs live every day at 6:50 a.m. via Radio QUB :

very heavy cases

With the policy of integrating pupils with difficulties into regular classes, it is the “very hard” youngsters who now find themselves in school adaptation groups, emphasizes Genevieve Sirois, professor of school management at TELUQ University.

As part of her research, she interviewed several School Network employees. He was told that jobs in special education are more difficult, that classes are filled to the maximum to reduce the number of teachers to be hired.

One month after the start of the school year, many special education contracts are still vacant, and we can see this by referring to the websites of many service centers.

“Recruitment difficulties in special education have been around for a long time, but the situation is particularly stark this year,” says Kathleen Legault, president of the Montreal Association of School Administrators.

“This worries us. We have increased the number of specialized classes in recent years, but it has become a less important option for parents” if the staff is unqualified, she adds.