A commission that spent a year looking at inclusive education in Nova Scotia says the program is under strain and needs greater funding to support students with learning challenges.
The commission outlined a five-year plan today, including funding for more psychologists and behaviour support teachers, and a call for faster student assessments and behaviour intervention.
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The independent commission on inclusive education was charged with producing the study in the wake of a bitter labour dispute between the provincial government and 9,300 public school teachers.
In an interim report last June, the commission found the current model is broken and needs wholesale change.
The inclusion policy requires the province to make sure students with special needs are given support to succeed in a regular classroom setting.
WATCH: Report finds that Nova Scotia’s inclusive education is failing students
It became a major issue during a contract dispute last year that saw teachers walk off the job for a day and stage a protest outside the provincial legislature.
At the time, teachers came forward to say inclusion wasn’t working because teachers weren’t given resources to help challenging students.