Clearview ensures students have direct access to speech language and occupational therapy supports

Jun 6, 2021 | 2:00 AM

The Board of Trustees for Clearview Public Schools has voted to continue its efforts in speech language services and occupational therapist supports for its students next year.

Starting in the 2020-21 school year, district officials say the Board of Trustees approved two additional staffing positions to ensure supports were in place for students that needed speech-language services and occupational therapist supports.

After significant consultations with school principals during the spring of 2020, and following the dissolving of the regional support model by the Alberta Government that previously provided similar supports, Clearview is said to have taken a proactive approach in making sure its students continued to receive the supports they needed to be the best learners possible.

“Thank you to both Jennifer Brown (Speech-Language Pathologist) and Alana Ell (Occupational Therapist) for choosing Clearview Public Schools, and for your work in ensuring the professional supports are available so students can be the best versions of themselves,” says Superintendent Brenda MacDonald, in a press release.

For next school year, trustees have gone further to ensure these services continue, including increasing the Occupational Therapist position to a full-time from a part-time position for 2021-22.

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Click on the video to watch district staff sharing their experiences this year and their commitment to ensuring all students are succeeding.

Through conversations with multiple stakeholders and leaders, district officials note that a new model for services emerged during the strategic planning in the spring of 2020 that saw Clearview hiring staff to provide must-needed student supports instead of relying on Alberta Health, consultants, or outside agencies.

Its felt this will allow effective planning for where the supports are most needed and more control for how those supports will be provided, representing an increased effective use of tight budget resources and better services to students.

“We are grateful to the Board of Trustees for understanding the importance of having these professionals in our school division so that our students and families don’t have to make trips outside of our area, or be on long wait lists to get these much needed services,” adds MacDonald. “Jen and Alana are part of Clearview’s inclusive team model involving classroom teachers, parents, EAs and principals to collectively design treatment plans that address each child’s unique needs. We know that if children get early intervention with timely and targeted support, it can change a child’s developmental path in the future.”

“Having these professionals as part of our education team means we can provide even more services to your student’s learning team,“ she points out.

by rdnewsNOW Staff

Clearview ensures students have direct access to speech language and occupational therapy supports

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