Winnipeg teen with intellectual disability being denied education by shortened school day, mom says

February 28, 2025 Canuck

A Winnipeg mother says her teenage son is being unfairly denied the opportunity to learn important life skills because of his intellectual disability, as a non-profit warns children with complex needs are being excluded through shortened school days.

Allana Vermette says her son’s high school has cut the time he spends in class down to two hours a day because of behavioural issues stemming from his disabilities.

The teen has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and oppositional defiance disorder, besides an intellectual disability.

Vermette said he’s been unable to sit through a full day of class since middle school, when he started acting up and getting into fights with other kids. This school year has been particularly difficult, she said.

“For a month straight, they sent him home every single day,” Vermette said.

“He still is so unhappy. There’s no programs out there for these kids.… They’re sticking them in the classroom, expecting them to cope.”

Kids who are only allowed to attend for partial days are “missing out on so much. Not just, you know, learning things. It’s the social aspect,” Vermette said.

“They make them feel ‘less-than’ because they have a disability.”

A report from New Brunswick’s child and youth advocate published last year questioned the legality of partial days.

And Inclusion Canada, an advocacy group for the training and socialization of people with intellectual disabilities, says it’s worried students with disabilities are increasingly being denied their right to be educated by partial-day school attendance.

LISTEN | Inclusion Canada on partial days:

Information Radio – MB11:41Pushed Out: The Impact of Partial School Days on Kids with Disabilities

Parents of children with disabilities are hearing the words “partial day” more often—schools recommending limited attendance for students with learning disabilities. Inclusion Canada says this trend is having serious consequences for families and kids. CEO Krista Carr explains why parents feel pushed out of the education system and what needs to change.

The formal or informal practice of removing children from classrooms because of behavioural issues or a lack of resources is exclusionary and negatively impacts families, children, and their learning outcomes, the non-profit says.

In an interview with CBC Manitoba’s Information Radio, Inclusion Canada CEO Krista Carr said partial school leaves children feeling like they “don’t belong … not to mention the educational gaps in learning, in formal learning and in growth that kids get from school in general, from all the friendships, the relationships, the social activities, the recreational activities.”

An online survey of more than 160 parents from across the country conducted by Inclusion Canada found that families often reported their children were being denied full instruction for extended periods of time, without parents being offered readily available solutions.

Schools often send the children home on a sporadic basis, forcing parents to miss out on work so they can be available to pick up their kids, the organization said.

“I can’t even work because I’m always on call,” Vermette said.

Partial days ‘unjust’: WSD superintendent

Matt Henderson, superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division, said his division’s schools have been instructed to aim for full-day schooling based on parents’ feedback, though some kids who have significant needs do still have a shortened schedule based on discussions with the family.

Henderson said the goal is always to build up to full school days.

“Historically, Winnipeg School Division ended the day early for kids [with disabilities], and that is unjust,” he told CBC Radio’s Up to Speed.

“Because of people’s best intentions, sometimes we think that removing children from healthy peers is the best way to educate them,” Henderson said. “In fact, all the research shows that healthy peers, strong teaching, strong instructions, excellent development for teachers … [are] key.”

A man with glasses stands for a photo. — Matt Henderson, the superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division, says all his schools have been instructed to aim for full-day schooling. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

River East Transcona School Division said in a statement partial days are part of a “well-defined strategy,” with detailed steps and clear timelines to get students to spend more time in the classroom.

The Louis Riel School Division said less than one per cent of its students are on an altered schedule, and that the strategy is sometimes used as a “temporary safety measure” after concerning incidents. It said it also aims to transition students back into full-time instruction.

Pembina Trails School Division declined to comment. St. James-Assiniboia didn’t get back to CBC News before publication.

Seven Oaks School Division superintendent Tony Kreml said in a statement some students have shortened days for “a variety of reasons.”

“For some students we need to adjust the day to help increase their stamina to attend a full day,” Kreml said. “Adjusting the day is not about discipline, but rather safety for the student in question, as well as other students or staff.”

But Inclusion Canada’s Carr said cutting classroom hours for children who have behavioural issues affects disabled students who struggle with communication or how to regulate their emotions.

“All behaviour is communication,” she said. “All those pieces come out in quote, unquote ‘behaviour.'”

Vermette said she would like to see her son’s school better accommodate his needs.

“If you can’t help my kid and create a program that’s going to fit his needs, he shouldn’t be [there],” she said.

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