Proposed Edmonton Public Schools autism centre raising concern

Article content

Including the Center for Excellence (ACE) in the Edmonton Public Schools’ three-year capital program has sparked controversy.

2026 – 2029 initiatives are in the early stages, with the focus on location, transportation and program details.

But community members, disabled and education experts drew attention to transparency, isolation and lack of consultation with family during a public school board meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Article content

“Once autistic children start traveling at EPSB schools, parents are under tremendous pressure to isolate their children from mainstream classrooms. We were told that EPSB will not provide the support our children need unless we agree to split them into quarantine.”

Some public criticized the program as a way to strengthen a systematic promotion of all-inclusive education for students with autism rather than supporting community schools.

“While this seems like a school that is entirely targeted at students with autism that can provide innovative new educational approaches and expand educational options available to parents of children with autism, it is not the case,” said Philip Ney, director of Alberta’s inclusion in Alberta. “Secretary schools for students with disabilities are neither new nor innovative. Such schools were created because students with disabilities have long been deprived of their rights to public education.”

Article content

Article content

Parents were also frustrated by the unexpected inclusion of the proposed autism center in the capital plan. They questioned the transparency of the process and argued that prioritizing quarantine sites over addressing the growth of enrollment is misleading.

“I was surprised to see a project that didn’t even receive funding from the planned capital plan last year in December 2024,” said Rajesh Kumar, an engineer and father of the mentally retarded student. “Instead, capital plans that should focus on meeting the pressure of enrollment growth are to invest in a site for autistic students, and administration has not yet established solid reasons.”

“Deplete space”

In response, Darrel Robertson, head of the Edmonton Public Schools Commission (EPSB), said the department’s commitment to inclusive education and parental choice remains a priority.

Robertson said school authorities must ensure that “the meaningful and relevant learning experiences that include appropriate teaching support are accessible “regardless of race, religion, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, family status, family status or sexual orientation or any other factor.”

Article content

“Our department has a long history of providing options for parents within our system. I think the choice is not only for children who access alternative programs, but also for children who need professional support,” he said.

However, the system faces challenges, including increasing admission pressures and limited classroom space, he said.

“In fact, we don’t have classroom space in some traffic areas,” he said, adding that this makes it difficult to expand departmental plans.

Robertson describes ACE as an opportunity to enhance professional development and surround support.

“The concept of funding for the Center for Excellence for Autism gives us the opportunity to dream about what it might be. It’s not about providing an educational model for children in the school department,” he said.

“When we consider the potential of autism center of excellence, it’s not a school; we have over 3,000 children diagnosed with autism in the department. The idea that a school will accommodate all children of our scale is just wrong. How do we position the center of excellence so that we can access better professional development, better discounts, better support?”

Article content

Board Chairman Julie Kusiek said the proposal stems from the department’s commitment to providing a variety of learning environments.

“So, the Center for Excellence for Autism is a proposal that we revolve around how best to serve students who diagnose autism within the department…we are looking for a variety of ways to meet the needs of families with a variety of options,” Kusik said.

While some parents worry that the center might lead to exclusion rather than inclusion, Ace aims to supplement existing programs rather than replace them, rather than “another option for families” rather than “any family needs to register their children’s stuff.”

“Families can choose to have their children attend community programs within the community. They can choose a zoning center program, such as an interactive program, or if they are constructed through our three-year capital program, they may be able to choose a center of excellence for autism,” she said.

Article content

Currently, funding has been provided for the planning phase, including determining the appropriate location, transport logistics and programming details. The province will evaluate the request as part of its broader school building priorities and further announcements are expected in the next round of project approvals.

Admission pressure and capital priorities

The controversy for ACE is because EPSB struggles to deal with enrollment and limited classroom space. The department’s 10-year facility plan 2025-2034 outlines two major challenges, including a deferred maintenance deficit of more than $1 billion, and an enrollment boom that damages school capacity.

Between 2011 and 2019, enrollment increased by an average of 3.3%, with approximately 3,000 students each year. After the epidemic, the rate accelerated to 4.5% between 2021 and 2024. The department initially expected a 5.7% increase (about 6,600 students) this year, but the actual growth reached 4.4% (5,000 students).

Article content

By January 9, 2025, another 2,052 students participated in the forecast.

To address these challenges, the department prioritizes new school building and modernization projects. The department announced on March 19 that five new schools now have construction funds and are expected to open within the next three to five years.

Despite these expansion plans, department staff warned that space shortages will continue until 2034 unless additional funding and construction plans are implemented. With utilization approaching 90%, trustees and education leaders stressed the urgency of obtaining provincial funds to prevent further congestion.

cnguyen@postmedia.com

Article content