WEYBURN - Board trustees with the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division had an opportunity to review a proposed position statement on Inclusive Education from the Saskatchewan School Boards Association.
The proposed position statement includes 10 inclusionary philosophies and beliefs. According to the statement, “Inclusive Education” is used to describe education for students with diverse backgrounds who may or may not require additional supports, or may or may not have a diagnosis.
Ultimately, the goal of Inclusive Education is to reduce exclusion by eliminating barriers to one’s school success and enhancing participation and sense of belonging in one’s community.
Gwen Keith, Director of Education for Holy Family, noted that the proposed statement was “not new information for us, or a new practice.”
It was noted that Holy Family school division has guiding principles, and is inclusion based for each of these principles. “We are a student-centered inclusive school division,” added Keith.
The Operational Policy on diversity and the RTI Handbook for Holy Family are both available on their website, and are used by administration as a guiding document. Recent inclusion work in the school division includes an Inclusive Playground Project and an accessible washroom renovation.
"With RTI applications and use, this handbook is not just a shelf document. It is lived. Our staff do what they need to do to meet the needs of our students," said Keith.
A special Inclusive Education mentor will be brought to the Holy Family School Division to speak with teachers and staff on Friday, August 26.
Shelley Moore is a teacher, researcher and storyteller. She is the author of the best selling book “One Without the Other”.
