NDP education critic, Matt Love, was in Prince Albert Jan. 7 to talk to parents of disabled children facing challenges with the education system. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Education woes

Parents of disabled kids say education system is failing them

Jan 7, 2026 | 5:25 PM

A group of five parents from Prince Albert, whose children have disabilities, said they are routinely being sent home from school because supports are not available to them.

It’s part of what the NDP said is a growing concern across the province: schools do not have the ability to provide specialized support for some students who should be getting it, and instead send them home.

Education critic Matt Love said that is why he has written to the Advocate for Children and Youth and the Provincial Auditor to ask for an investigation into the trend.

“What you’ve experienced and what we’re talking about today is this challenge where some students are being told that they can’t attend school at all and in some cases, that they can only attend school part-time,” he said.

“Every person aged six to 22 has a right to education, and we also know that over the last 10 years, we’ve seen funding for education adjusted for enrolment and inflation. We’ve seen a decrease in this province of about 15 per cent.”

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Several of the parents who spoke to paNOW said their children were assigned to work from home. They said it’s challenging when they have to go to work, but have an unpredictable schedule where their child may be in school one day and not the next.

Last month, Inclusion Saskatchewan released a report that said about 1,300 students with special needs in the province are routinely sent home. Some are being denied admission altogether.

According to Love, denying education is a violation of the Education Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, both of which state all children have the right to education without discrimination.

“The reason we hear, over and over, they can’t attend because the supports they need to be there, to engage in learning in a way that’s safe for them and for other, in a way that helps them to grow and learn as a student – the supports they need don’t exist,” he said.

The children most frequently affected are the ones who need one-on-one help, usually done by a dedicated Educational Assistant (EA).

Love pointed out that the 1,300 instances in which students were reportedly sent home happened before the federal government made funding changes to Jordan’s Principle – a child-first legal rule in Canada that ensures First Nations children receive necessary government services without delay. Those cuts led to school divisions across the province laying off a significant number of educational assistants.

“Now that Jordan’s Principle funding has been removed, we’ve called on the provincial government to backfill that because obviously, those are kids who need support,” said Love.

He explained if an EA is sick, no substitute is provided, so the child is asked to stay home.

“But in other cases, especially early in the school year, when a family enrolls their child in a school, they’re told, ‘we can’t accept you at all’,” he said.

Mom Melissa Sander said her child missed most of the last school year.

“I am furious. Every child has the same right to education in this province, and yet my son has missed 60 per cent of the last year,” said Sander.

“What are parents supposed to do? I took a leave from work, I’m starting to return, but I’m constantly on edge knowing I’m likely to receive a phone call from the school.”

One mother said that despite her son having a note from his pediatrician that he needed one-on-one teaching, the school said no, and the EA would be assigned to the whole classroom.

In another example, a school with 3.5 EA positions had 2.5 cut, leaving one EA in a school with a population of about 100 students.

Two of the moms said they actually offered to stay in the classroom and be their child’s own helper, but were told no.

“My kids are very different, and it feels like I’m the one that’s at the wrong here when I have two children that are very different,” said one mom.

She said she is doing everything she can to help support her children but is finding it difficult.

When asked by paNOW to respond to the concerns, the provincial Ministry of Education said they understand there are pressures and challenges in the school system, and they have expanded funding to education through initiatives like the Specialized Support Classroom Model and are funding more classroom complexity teachers as agreed to in the collective bargaining agreement with the STF.

“School divisions are responsible for assessing student needs and making operational decisions, including staffing; these decisions are made locally to ensure flexibility and responsiveness to community needs, and are made in the best interests of the overall health and safety of students,” said the Ministry.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social