(Canada) Ontario: Parents feel lack of support for special needs students

Nov 14, 2026, Ifpress: Comeau: Report exposes gaps in special education system

For years, parents have advocated for assessments, specialized instruction and appropriate supports for children with disabilities. They have attended meetings, submitted professional reports and asked schools to deliver what their children need to learn and belong. Too often, their concerns have been dismissed or left unresolved.

Now they have independent evidence that their concerns deserve to be heard.

On May 12, 2026, Ontario Auditor General Shelley Spence released a performance audit of special education at three school boards and the Ministry of Education. Her office independently examines how public money is spent and whether government programs work. The findings are a serious warning about children’s learning, families’ participation and public accountability.

In 2023–24, 334,860 Ontario students had individual education plans (IEPs), approximately 16 per cent of publicly funded school enrolment. Over the preceding decade, the number of students with special education needs, excluding giftedness, grew seven per cent, compared with four per cent growth in overall enrolment.

Demand is increasing. Yet the audit found that, at two boards, 34 per cent of students awaiting assessments had waited more than a year. Across sampled files, 38 to 95 per cent lacked evidence of parental consultation or input in IEP development. At least 90 per cent of reviewed annual IEP goals at each board lacked measurable criteria. And 65 per cent of reviewed identification, placement and review committee decisions lacked written reasons for student placements.

What does this mean for a child? A year spent waiting for assessment is a year when important learning needs may remain incompletely understood. A plan without measurable goals cannot clearly show whether a student is progressing. A placement decision without reasons leaves families struggling to understand why a particular setting or level of support was chosen.

And when parents’ contributions are not documented, families who know their children best can feel ignored or silenced. They should be partners in planning, not left to advocate repeatedly for answers.

The audit also exposed gaps in the knowledge and skills teachers reported needing to deliver special education: 39 per cent concerning modified or alternative expectations, 39 per cent annual learning goals, 32 per cent assessment methods, 29 per cent teaching strategies and 28 per cent accommodations. These figures do not mean teachers lack certification. They show why professional learning, resources and support matter. . . .

Continuity is another concern. At the audited boards, an average of 18 per cent of educational assistants were absent on a given day; 49 to 72 per cent of those absences were not filled by qualified temporary replacements. For students who rely on consistent assistance, staffing gaps can affect communication, safety, learning and inclusion. . . .

Ontario’s special education funding rose from approximately $3.1 billion in 2019–20 to $3.6 billion [$2.5B US] in 2023–24 — an increase of $500 million [$350M] that broadly kept pace with inflation. This raises a fiscal responsibility question: are funding levels realistic for the cost of delivering appropriate education, and how do the ministry and boards demonstrate that resources translate into actual services?

The audit examined three boards, not every school in Ontario. But its findings raise provincewide questions for a ministry responsible for oversight of 72 school boards and 10 school authorities. Inclusion Action in Ontario has also pressed for reforms, including greater resources directed toward classroom supports.

Nearly five months after the audit, Education Minister Paul Calandra acknowledged at an Oct. 1 legislative committee hearing that the system was not meeting parents’ needs.

Acknowledgment matters, but families need to know what will change, who is responsible and when. Five months is a long time in a child’s education.

The purpose of public service is not to sustain the system. It is to serve the people.

The auditor general’s report card shows serious gaps in staffing, teacher preparation, assessments, educational planning, monitoring and access to school despite more than $3 billion [$2B US] in annual funding. These failures can cost children learning opportunities and leave families feeling unheard as they seek supports their children need.  . . .