Some Ontario students are being sent home because schools can’t meet their special needs: auditor

A classroom is seen at Wazoson Public School of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) in Ottawa, on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Students with special educational needs in three Ontario schools boards, including the TCDSB, are facing long wait times for help and sometimes being sent home because schools are unable to meet their needs, a new report from Ontario’s auditor general reveals.

“Our audit concluded that the Ministry and the school boards selected for audit did not always have procedures in place to support consistent compliance with legislation, regulations and Ministry policies for special education programs and services,” Auditor General Shelley Spence wrote in a new report tabled Tuesday.

She found families were not always provided with proper resources to help their child succeed and that special education plans varied in terms of the completeness and clarity of information.

“The Ministry did not provide clear guidance on the circumstances under which schools could refuse a student’s entry, which contributed to situations where students were excluded informally without a documented rationale,” Spence found.

“This resulted in students with special education needs being sent home when schools could not meet their needs.”

The three school boards selected for the audit of special education programs were the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), the Peel District School Board (PDSB) and the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB).

Spence also found poor oversight when it came to implementing individualized education plans.

“Standards were applied inconsistently, and the implementation of supports outlined in them was neither monitored nor assured,” she wrote.

She also found variation in identification criteria and placement practices, high rates of unfilled absences among special education staff and long wait times for professional assessments.

Parents of children with special learning needs have long said that kids are not receiving adequate supports within the education system. Advocates have said the problem has gotten worse since school board trustees were suspended at many boards, leaving parents with fewer Points of access to navigate the system when it is not working for their child.

Spence tabled 15 recommendations in total and she said the ministry and school boards have agreed with 13 of them.