YORK REGION DISTRIGT SGHOOL BOARD

Supporting Students in the Gontext of Ghanges to the Ontario Autism Program

Purpose:
This report is for information and will provide trustees with background related to the
recently announced changes to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) and how the changes
may affect students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the York Region District
School Board (YRDSB). lt outlines steps that are being taken to support students, families
and staff.

Background:

The Ontario government, under the leadership of the Ministry of Children, Community and
Social Services (MCCSS) recently announced changes to the OAP. Effective April 1,
2019, annual and lifetime funding limits will be in place that consider the age of the
child/youth and family income. Children/youth currently receiving service/funding within
the OAP will likely experience a dramatic reduction in service/funding. Childreniyouth on
the waiting list for funding/service of the OAP are expected to receive funding within 18
months.

The government reports that there are 23,000 children/youth in Ontario on the waiting list
for funding. In YRDSB, there are 2,900 students who have an identification of ASD.

Rationale:

Changes to the OAP will affect the YRDSB. Some children/youth who receive intensive
service/funding of the OAP may not currently be students of YRDSB and upon funding
reduction, those families may choose to register their children in our schools. Some of the
existing 2,900 students with ASD may receive funding for the first time, or experience
changes in funding levels on April 1. Parents choices for outside service may affect the
student's aftendance at school. Parents may also request outside service providers enter
schools/classrooms to support their children, which is not our current practice.

DueIo consent limitations, data is not available through the Ministries on the specific
impact of the OAP changes to YRDSB.
Financial I nformation :

To support students with ASD in the context of changes to the OAP, additional
congregated classes, teachers and educational assistants may be needed.

At this time, specific funding for school boards related to the OAP changes has not been
announced by the Ministry of Education.

Next Steps:

Communication has been sent to all administrators asking for data to be shared with the
Student Services department so analysis of needs can be determined in conjunction with
Director's Council.

Outreach to the Ministry of Education has been made by the Council of Ontario Directors
of Education (CODE) and the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA)
outlining concerns and requesting information.

Outreach to all union leaders has been made by the Superintendent of Student Services
to discuss changes to the OAP.

Risks:

Without specific and dedicated funding from the Ministry of Education, YRDSB will need
to use current-year surplus to hire additional staff and consider the annualized increase
in costs for staffing.

Due to the rapid rate of change of this initiative, hiring timelines and unknown information,
planning for transitions for students with high levels of need may require gradual entry of
some students.

Aliqnment to Board Priorities:

Staff actions uphold the Board's direction to:

Charypion Equity and lnclusivity. We develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to
remove barriers in support of all learners;

Empower Ethical Leadership. We lead ethically by focusing on students and upholding

our values.

Appended Data:

Appendix A: Communication to Administrators

Respectfully submitted,

Director of Education, L. Sirisko

Superintendent of Education, Student Services K. Diakiw

March 5,2019

For further information, please contact Superintendent of Education, Student

Seryices K. Diakiw or the Director of Education.
 Appendix A

Fromr Diakiw, Kate

To: Dl"(G)Pfincipals; Dl(G)Vice-Principals
Cc: Friedman, Karen; LaTouche, Clayton; DlG)SuperintendentS
Subject: Changes to Ontario Autism Program Funding
Date: Wednesday, February 27, 20Lg 7:72:42 PM

Dear Administrators,

As you may be aware, the government recently announced changes to the Ontario Autism
Program (OAP) which provides outside supports and services to children and youth
diagnosed with Autism Spectrurn Disorder. These changes may initiate or change funding,
supports and services for children and youth with ASD.

Families will likely outreach to you to share how changes to the OAP are affecting them and
seek to learn about supports in our schools. You can expect that some families will register
their child in our schools for the first time. Other families may share that they have been
provided funding for service and wish to modify their child's school day to accommodate
therapy. Other families may wish to increase their child's time in school as a result of
decreased OAP funding. Parents may also request that a third party service provider be
allowed to deliver service in the classroom or school, which is not our current practice.

At the system level, we are putting plans into place to ensure we can continue to provide all
of our students with the appropriate supports to help them reach their full potential. As
always, please continue to welcome new students and theii families to York Region District
School Board and initiate the registration process as requested. Please contact your
Student Services Coordinator immediately to inform them of new students with ASD
registering with your school or modifying their current placements as a result of changes to
OAP funding. This will enable the Coordinator to support you in preparing to meet the
needsofyourstudentsandsetupatransitionmeeting

We encourage families to include service providers and community partners in transition

planning, so we can work together to identify students' strengths, interests and needs and
put the appropriate supports in place.

Your collaboration with your Student Services Coordinator will ensure that we are aware of
how changes to the OAP are affecting our system and can plan effectively to meet the
needs of students and schools.

Please be assured that we will continue to support you and our schools during this period of
transition, and thank you for all that you do to create welcoming, respectful and inclusive
environments for all of our students and families.

Sincerely,

Kate Diakiw ToucheClayton La Karen

Friedman
Superintendent of Student Services Associate Director Associate
Director
Kote Diokiw
Superintendent of Student Services
York Region District School Boord
Centre for Leodership ond Leorning
300 Horry Wolker Porkwoy Souih
Newmorket, ON L3Y 8E2
416-969-7170 exI3236
Administrotive Assistont Lindo Porteous ext 3235

IMPORTAruT: This information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and rnay
contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under the Municipal Freedom of
Information and Protection of Privacy Act and/cr Personal Healih Information Protection Act, If the reader of this
message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended
recipient,youareherebynotifiedthatanydissemination,distributionorcopyingofthisrecordisstrictlyprohibited. If
you receive this record in error, please notify me immediately.