Halton District School Board - Special Education Advisory Committee (Hybrid Meeting) - Minutes - April 15, 2026

Oct 3, 2026

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Minutes from the Special Education Advisory Committee (Hybrid Meeting) of the Halton District School Board held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 7:00 pm. The agenda covers opening formalities, acknowledgement of traditional lands, and approval of agenda and prior minutes. Discussion includes Halton Student Transportation Services, the CPE Classroom and CPE Handbook, and planning for a new SEAC term from 2026-2030. The Superintendent’s report summarizes staffing and budget updates, updates to the gifted screening tool, and timelines for the 2026-27 Special Education Plan review and votes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Opening

Welcome and Call to Order

Honouring the Land and Territory

Approval of Agenda

Minutes of March 25, 2026

Action

SEAC Discussion/Input/Question Period

Halton Student Transportation Services

CPE Classroom and CPE Handbook

Process for New SEAC Term 2026-2030

Communication to SEAC

Superintendent’s Report

HALTON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Special Education Advisory Committee –(Hybrid Meeting) Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 7:00 pm MINUTES Present: Sapna Gaba (Association for Bright Children); Jennifer Legare (Autism Ontario); Jelena King (Centre for Diverse Learners); Shania Jagnandan (Community Living Oakville); Erin Sproule (VOICE for Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing); Sophia Siddiqi (Halton Down Syndrome Association); Kajsa Klassen (Member At Large); Tara Conley (Member At Large); Katie Schleifer (Member At Large); Audrey Wubbenhorst (Trustee); Carole Baxter (Trustee) Staff: Colette Ruddock (Superintendent, Special Education); Conan Spruin (Principal, Special Education); Angela Sauve, (Vice Principal, Special Education); Kevin Raposo (Communications); Laura Radinovic (Special Education Services Coordinator) Regrets: Amanda Winch (Autism Ontario); Melissa Dockeray (Easter Seals Society); Sierra Kernick (Community Living Burlington); Joanna Oliver (Trustee); Xin Yi Zhang (Trustee) 1.0 Opening 1.1 Welcome and Call to Order Chair Gaba called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. 1.2 Honouring the Land and Territory Chair Gaba read the Acknowledgement of Traditional Lands. 1.3 Approval of Agenda \#264-26 Moved by: K. Schleifer Seconded by: E. Sproule Be it resolved that the April 15, 2026 agenda for the Special Education Advisory Committee be approved as presented. Carried Unanimously 1.5 Minutes of March 25, 2026 \#265-26 Moved by: T. Conley Seconded by: S. Jagnandan Be it resolved that the meeting minutes for the March 25, 2026 Special Education Advisory Committee be approved as presented. Carried Unanimously 2.0 Action No Action Items 3.0 SEAC Discussion/Input/Question Period 3.1 . Halton Student Transportation Services David Colley, General Manager of HSTS, provided a presentation on the AODA requirements for school transportation. There was an opportunity to ask questions after the presentation which can be found HERE. 3.2 CPE Classroom and CPE Handbook Nancy Hecimovic, IPL, provided a presentation on the Community Pathway Elementary Classroom and Supporting Resources. There was an opportunity to ask questions after the presentation which can be found HERE. 3.3 Process for New SEAC Term 2026-2030 To align with Board recruitment strategies, we are launching our membership campaign in September. Communications will target new associations and members-at-large, while current associations will receive letters to confirm renominations and designate representatives. Following the Board of Trustees' swearing-in on November 17, a membership report will be submitted on December 1, followed by a SEAC orientation meeting later that month. Consequently, the current committee will retire after the October meeting, there will be no November session, and official business will resume in January. 4.0 Communication to SEAC 4.1 Superintendent’s Report April 2027 1. Staffing / Budget Update \#1: SES has built the self-contained classes for the 2026-27 school year. As a result of class sizes and increased/decreased demand for self-contained classes, the following changes will be noted in the Special Education Plan: a. ARC-10 classes (↓ from 16) b. CPE-41 classes (↑ from 40) c. Gifted-30 classes (↓ from 35) *Gr 4-8 only d. Communication Program-9 classes (↓ from 12) e. ELPhA -4 classes (↓ from 5) f. KELLP-3 classes (no change) g. CPP-51.6 FTE (↑ from 50.3) 2. Staffing / Budget Update \#2: a. Reduction of 2 FTE Clerical Positions-one in the IPRC Office and one in our main office b. Reduction of 2 FTE Psychoeducational Consultants c. Reduction of 2 FTE Speech and Language Consultants d. Reduction of 4.5 FTE Social Workers e. Reduction of 5.5 FTE Child and Youth Care Practitioners 3. Gifted Screening Tool: In October 2025, I mentioned that we were exploring a new Gifted Screening Tool. For many years, we have used the CCAT. Our process has been a t

FAQs

What key items were approved at the April 15, 2026 meeting?

The committee approved the April 15, 2026 agenda and approved the minutes from the March 25, 2026 SEAC meeting as presented. Both were carried unanimously.

What topics were discussed during the input/question period?

The meeting included presentations and discussion on Halton Student Transportation Services AODA requirements, the CPE Classroom and CPE Handbook/supporting resources, and the process for establishing the new SEAC term for 2026-2030.

What does the Superintendent’s report cover regarding special education planning?

It summarizes staffing and budget update items, changes affecting self-contained classes and staffing roles, details about the gifted screening tool transition, and the timeline for updating the 2026-27 Special Education Plan through SEAC and Board of Trustees votes.

Oct 3, 2026

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