Parents of students attending Earl Haig Secondary School in North York, were left upset after receiving emails that detailed a list of recommendations from the Toronto District School Board’s Enhancing Equity Task Force.
The fear is that recommendations meant to create a level educational playing field, will see students losing out instead.
“It’s a sad day for the arts in Toronto. That’s the first thing I thought,” James Murphy said.
The message he received from members of the school’s council, described the proposed changes that could come into effect if approved.
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It opens with:
“The School Council would like to inform you about a proposed change by the Toronto District School Board to phase out specialized programs such as Claude Watson Arts as part of a broader strategy to enhance equity across TDSB schools.”
Murphy’s 16-year-old daughter attends Earl Haig and is registered in the Claude Watson Arts Program.
“I would say that you would be potentially canceling the future generation of artists. That’s what you would be doing. You’d be eliminating their thoughts and ideas for the next generation really,” he said.
The email, which went out Thursday night, refers to a draft report published recently by the board’s Task Force.
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A number of recommendations are on the table for discussion.
They include: “Resources and supports be realigned so that all schools, at least every cluster of local schools, can offer a variety of specialty programs.”
Once that is in place, “ALL students have equitable access to enriched programming, optional attendance and specialized schools should be phased out.”
That includes academic institutions that specialize in the arts, math and sciences.
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Among specialized arts schools: Claude Watson Secondary Arts Program at Earl Haig, Etobicoke School of the Arts, Rosedale Heights School of the Arts and Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts.
“Our fear is that it’s going to create many mediocre schools with no exceptional schools,” said Phi Than, one of the council members who sent the email on behalf of the Earl Haig Secondary School Council.
“And those students who require exceptional programming, will no longer have a choice to attend those programs, unless they are wealthy.”
TDSB director of education John Malloy, says while they hear the concerns, they are premature.
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“I saw the email and it goes to a place where there’s a concern that every single, special program that we have in the TDSB, would somehow be harmed by this process. That’s not the intent.”
Malloy said there was a spring session to obtain feedback from parents and there will be a student conference in November.
“We are now in the part of the process where the voices of the people who participated up to this point, are captured in those very draft recommendations,” he told Global News on Friday.
“But the month of October gives an opportunity for all of our parents to see what’s on the table, provide their comments and then recommendations will be changed – if required – before the board even sees the report in December.”
A feedback form can be accessed online and needs to be submitted by the end of the month.
The recommendations have already prompted discussions among specialized school alumni, who say the mere possibility of a phase out is deeply disheartening.
“You don’t know what you have until you don’t have it anymore,” said Oksana Berda.
She graduated from the Etobicoke School of the Arts in 2006.
“With ESA, a lot of the values it carries – it’s very much about accepting people and being open to things and that extends beyond interpersonal relationships, but to how you approach projects and your life and conflict.”
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