Special-needs school facing axe
Students suffer from physical, mental disorders and have been excluded from public school
A unique Vancouver school for students suffering from a range of complex medical, psychological and/or psychiatric issues is in danger of closing.
Parents of students at the Glen Eden Multimodal Centre have been fighting for help from the B.C. government, even writing to Premier Christy Clark.
Bhavana Vishnubhotla, director of applied research at Glen Eden, said the families may be out of luck unless the school gets $220,000 to $250,000 to continue operating.
Unable to pay its rent, Glen Eden, in the 8600-block Barnard Street near Granville and Southwest Marine Drive, is looking for smaller, cheaper facilities.
“We may or may not be able to reopen in the future, but it’s not clear,” she said. If the centre doesn’t open next month, school districts where the students live will have to trigger a contingency plan.
There are 30 staff members at the facility, funded by both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Children and Families.
Kids at Glen Eden can suffer from autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or a host of other concerns. Many kids have multiple diagnoses.
All but one student have been excluded from public schools.
“I really fear for the families,” she said. “They’ve ended up with us because the other services out there are not sufficient.”
In the public system, some of the students needed two or three educational assistants each to cope.
Closing Glen Eden, where students can get one-on-one attention daily, would cost the government more and provide fewer educational benefits, she said.
Glen Eden parent Leanne Martin of Richmond said her 10-year-old daughter Katelyn suffers from multiple disorders and couldn’t function in public schools. At Glen Eden, she’s been getting specialized care.
“It’s been a fantastic experience,” said Martin. “She’s at the point where she has been able to learn.”
All that will end if Katelyn goes back to public school.
Because Glen Eden offers both clinical care and education, there is some jurisdictional confusion over the institution’s funding.
Education Minister George Abbott was not available to comment, but his ministry issued this statement:
“Glen Eden is eligible for the same operational and special needs funding that any other independent school in B.C. receives,” said the statement. “For the 2011-12 school year, the Ministry of Education provided Glen Eden with nearly $400,000 in operating and special education funding. Operating funding accounted for close to $67,000 and special education funding totalled approximately $320,000.”
Vishnubhotla didn’t dispute the funding but said it is not sufficient to continue operating.
The ministry also said it had done a review of the school’s operations.
“As a result of this review, the ministry presented the school operator with numerous options to help make the school’s operation more sustainable — from reviewing how other independent schools operate to adjusting staffing levels to fundraising,” the statement said. The Children and Families Ministry is also working to ensure that they are meeting ministry standards and expectations, it added.
No one from Children and Families could be reached for a comment.