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The Ottawa Carleton District School Board is set to unveil some controversial changes

It involves cuts to many programs, including ones for specialized learning needs.

Scaling down: The Ottawa Carleton District School board has recently unveiled a controversial new plan that could cut upwards of 39 programs — many of which cater to students with autism and other specialized learning needs. 

The changes, which would start in September 2026, are intended to encourage students to attend schools in their own communities rather than seek specialized learning elsewhere. 

Grade configurations for some schools could change, which means their names might change, too. That would also mean some students would need to change schools to be closer to home, but it’s unclear how many people that would impact. 

  • By the numbers: The average number of students in elementary schools can vary between 200 and 900. Some are over capacity, and some are under. That’s why the board wants to even it out. Many of the schools with low enrollment currently have no French immersion programs. Roughly 12,000 students would move schools in the fall of 2026, compared to the 6,000 to 10,000 students who switch annually on average, reported CBC

French immersion changes: For starters, students would no longer be able to switch programs after Grade 3, though in rare cases, exemptions could be made, such as if the student was transferring from a French-language school. Students currently can only switch in Grades 1 and 4. 

English students would get an additional 40 minutes of French language lessons a week, and those entering French immersion in Grade 1 would have only 20 percent of their course load in French compared to the current 40 percent. 

  • “This allows us to have one French immersion program, and parents can choose their children to enrol starting in Grade 1. Many do, and that'll be wonderful. But if parents wait another year, their children can continue learning English and enter in Grade 2 or Grade 3 as part of one of those two tracks," OCDSB executive director Pino Buffone told CBC.

While most schools offer both French immersion and English classes, some offer only one or the other. 

Changes to special needs programming: This is a controversial one. There are currently 11 specialized programs with 142 classes. Under new changes, some would stay, and others would go.

Those on the chopping block include the primary special needs program, which has seven classes with 10 students; the junior general learning program, which has six classes with 16 students; the primary and junior language learning disabilities program has 11 courses with 10 students; the junior and intermediate learning disabilities semi-integrated program has 14 classes with eight students; and the primary gifted program has one class with up to 20 students. This would impact a total of 39 classes, reported the Ottawa Citizen

Parent Tia Wathra says her daughter Zara thrives in Grade 1 thanks to a specialized classroom supporting her needs. Bitnit wasn’t always that way. She struggled through kindergarten while living with a rare disease that causes seizures. 

  • “Inclusion without support is abandonment,” Wathra told CTV. "There is no way for them to function in a class where all the material is above their learning ability and then have no support. Zara really does need someone to be around her the entire day or in a small environment where she is right now. If she's in a big class, then she needs help because we don't know when she's going to have a seizure."

The board says 42 teachers and 13 educational assistants will be moved into general classroom support as the specialized program classes are phased out.

Some more details: At this point, no schools are set to close. Older schools are expected to have fewer portable classrooms due to less demand. Families of students impacted will receive more information in March. The impacts of the changes on staffing “will need to be further assessed” at a later date. More changes are also coming in the early years, such as childcare services, secondary programming, service delivery, and support structures.