The unspoken issue in N.S. teachers’ dispute:inclusion of special-needs students
HALIFAX — It is the unspoken heart of the province’s bitter contract dispute with Nova Scotia’s public school teachers: Classroom composition, and inclusion of students with special needs.
The public conversation in the dispute has mainly centred around wages and “classroom conditions” — a phrase often used to describe everything from class size to the amount of reporting and data entry work a teacher has to do.
But scratch the surface and the issue of classrooms composed of students with a range of mental, physical, behavioural and learning challenges is a major concern, according to a Cape Breton teacher with 30 years of experience.
“It is the issue that nobody will talk about,” said Sally Capstick, who admits her own frustration has prompted her to speak out.