Page 26 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12 Draft
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Roles and Responsibilities in
Special Education
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities are an essential part of delivering special education programs and services. The roles and responsibilities within special education are outlined below.
The Ministry of Education:
• sets out, through the Education Act, regulations, and policy documents, including policy/program memoranda, the legal obligations of school boards regarding the provision of special education programs and services;
• prescribes the categories and definitions of exceptionality;
• requires through the Education Act that school boards provide appro-
priate special education programs and services for their exceptional
students;
• establishes the funding for special education through the structure of
the funding model;
• requires school boards to report on their expenditures for special
education through the budget process;
• sets province-wide standards for curriculum and reporting of
achievement;
• requires through regulation that school boards maintain special
education plans, review them annually, and submit amendments to the
ministry;
• requires through the Education Act and through regulation that school
boards establish Special Education Advisory Committees (SEACs);
• establishes a Minister’s Advisory Council on Special Education to
advise the Minister of Education on matters related to special education
programs and services;
• operates Provincial and Demonstration Schools for students who are Deaf
or hard of hearing, who are blind or have low vision, who are deafblind, or who have severe learning disabilities.
The school board:
• establishes school board policy and practices that comply with the Education Act, regulations, and policy documents, including policy/program memoranda;