To Our Partners in Inclusion:
As many of you are aware, the provincial government’s plans to amend Bill 46, the Education Act, were halted today.
This is a victory for our inclusive education movement in New Brunswick.
While much focus has been on how the proposed changes to Bill 46 related to governance, it’s important to note that there were also changes within Bill 46 that would have negatively impacted inclusive education in New Brunswick. Specifically, the human right of students with a disability to be included in their neighbourhood schools and classrooms with their peers.
This is the very cornerstone of inclusive education, which has been legislated in our province since the mid-80s.
Inclusion NB has been working diligently to shine a critical spotlight on how these proposed changes weakened inclusion in our schools. In fact, last month, Education Minister Bill Hogan told New Brunswickers that language in Bill 46 would need to be fixed after Inclusion NB raised concerns.
Since then, we have drafted our own framework of proposed amendments and shared those with the Minister as well as the opposition parties. This advocacy is critical to protecting the rights of students with an intellectual or developmental disability and their families.
While the path to get here has not been straightforward, we are pleased with the outcome and to see the current Education Act remain intact.
As always, we look forward to working with our partners in government to continuously build a more inclusive education system in New Brunswick.
Yours in inclusion,
Sarah
