A new report examining Ontario's publicly funded schools is showing a lack of resources when it comes to special education needs.
People for Education authored the report and says 58 per cent of elementary and 48 per cent of secondary school principals told a student with special education needs to stay home this year because of safety concerns. That's up from 48 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively, in 2014.
"We had quite a few number of elementary and secondary schools reporting they don't believe they have enough psychologists available to them to adequately support their students. So, we would hope that those types of messages come across clearly to government," says Christine Corso with the group.
She says there's another clear indicator that schools aren't getting the supports they needs. "Interestingly, when asking what community organizations schools work with almost all of elementary and secondary schools report that they collaborate or work with mental health providers outside of the schools."