The Ontario Autism Coalition (OAC) is calling on the provincial government to treat May 12's Performance Audit on Special Education Needs from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario as a crisis requiring urgent, concrete action -- not a roadmap for gradual improvement.
The OAC welcomes the Auditor General of Ontario's report as a critical validation of what families, educators, and advocates have been reporting for years. The findings closely mirror those outlined in the OAC's own Special Education reports, which document widespread concerns around inadequate supports, staffing shortages, unmet student needs, and systemic barriers facing students with disabilities across Ontario. Significantly, data collected by the OAC were cited within the AG's report, underscoring both the credibility of families' lived experiences and the urgent need for meaningful action.
The OAC is struck -- and grateful -- that the Auditor General cited their 2024 survey of more than 400 families across 60 school boards directly in this report. Those numbers bear repeating: 50% of parents felt their child lacked meaningful access to education. 82% reported safety concerns. 39% said their child's placement did not meet their needs. Nearly half were dissatisfied with IEP implementation, and 65% reported receiving inadequate progress updates on their child.
These were not isolated complaints. They were a system-wide pattern that shows significant strain on students, educators and families who are left with the pressure to advocate for support for their children at every turn. The Auditor General has now confirmed it.
Perhaps the clearest indication of a special education system in crisis is the growing number of students with disabilities who are effectively being excluded from even being at school. Across Ontario, families are increasingly being told that schools cannot safely or appropriately support their children for full days, or in some cases, at all.
The Auditor General's findings that 39% of surveyed teachers reported observing or being involved in informal, undocumented exclusions are in line with data the OAC has collected from families' experiences. In the OAC's 25-26 special education report, released in April, it was documented that 33% of students with special education needs had dealt with exclusions from school or from certain school activities. 26% of families reported their child had been put on a modified schedule and was not allowed to attend for a full school day, and a staggering 6% (approximately 21,750 students) were not in school at all. Schools lacking the necessary resources to safely support the student being the number one reason for the exclusion.
The OAC has been demanding that the Ford government track and share data on exclusions for years. While inconsistent and incomplete data on formal exclusions have been shared through freedom of information requests, there continues to be zero tracking of informal exclusions and students being placed on modified schedules. The OAC is in full agreement with the Auditor General's recommendations on the critical need for proper policies and reporting mechanisms to be put in place for both formal (hard exclusions) and informal (soft exclusions).
"While the Ministry emphasizes that exclusions are to be used as a last resort, schools are now in the position of managing staffing and resource challenges with the only tool left in their tool box," said Kate Dudley Logue, Vice President of Community Outreach. "It has now become normalized that students with complex needs, not attend school consistently, for full days, and sometimes, they are excluded completely. This is an equity issue; disabled students legally have a right to a full and meaningful education."
The OAC continues to point out that the escalating complexity of needs seen in Ontario classrooms is directly connected to the 5-6 year long wait times autistic children face in accessing therapy and supports through the Ontario Autism Program.
"Children are entering the school system without access to the early intervention and therapeutic supports that could strengthen communication, regulation, behavioural, and daily living skills that could help them have more successful days and require less support in the classroom. Instead, we are leaving schools to manage increasingly complex needs without the resources required to do so effectively," said Dudley Logue.
The Auditor General's report confirms what families, educators and advocates across Ontario have consistently raised for years: the current state of special education is failing students with disabilities. This must be a turning point. Minister Calandra now has both the evidence and the responsibility to act - by making a meaningful commitment to ensuring every student with a disability has access to a fulsome, safe, and truly inclusive education, supported by the staffing, services, and resources required for them to succeed.
