Inclusive education, or inclusion, has been part of New Brunswick’s education system since 1986, but the story of a boy’s middle school years detailed in a recent labour board decision shows the system is struggling.
The student’s experience is the focus of a grievance filed by the New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation. The union alleges the provincial government failed to provide a safe working environment for staff from 2019 to 2021.
The student’s middle school years were largely spent in conflict with educators and in isolation from peers — on a partial-day plan that saw him attend half a day or less and sometimes in seclusion.
Inclusive education requires that students with disabilities or other special needs be educated in their local schools, in regular classes with students his own age.
In October, …