Kids put in closets at CSDM
A story here claims that severely autistic kids who have a crisis are shut into closets to calm them down, at one CSDM school. It may be true. But this story may be being told in this way at this time to leverage more school space out of other school boards.
It was the CSDM, or its previous incarnation as the Catholic school commission, that disposed of so many school buildings toward the end of the last century. Turned into condos, sold off for office space, or simply demolished after decades of neglect made them uninhabitable, I can think of several school buildings I know of that are no longer usable for the original purpose. Very short-sighted then – and now this.
EmilyG 10:59 on 2019-05-28 Permalink
It’s terrible the way autistic kids are treated sometimes.
Autistic adults who are considered more “high-functioning,” like me, can still find some aspects of daily life a challenge. What these kids are going through is much worse.
Kevin 13:35 on 2019-05-28 Permalink
Meanwhile the CSDM got $20 million today to build a water park at Henri Bourassa school.
walkerp 14:03 on 2019-05-28 Permalink
Was the CSDM the only people who didn’t know there was a baby boom in Quebec?
Kate 10:11 on 2019-05-29 Permalink
There’s a baby boom now, walkerp, but in the 1980s people were leaving Montreal and the birthrate was down. My guess is they had some demographic studies that supported shedding some buildings that were under-used at the time.
Mark Côté 15:43 on 2019-05-29 Permalink
The EMSB student population has also rebounded unexpectedly. Just a few short years ago there was talk of closing a couple in the West End. Now, largely due to temporary workers, they are adding mobile classrooms and rearranging schools to accommodate the influx.
Tim S. 20:05 on 2019-05-29 Permalink
Mark: do you have a source on the temporary workers? ‘I’m curious as it may explain some things, but most of the families I see in the area seem to be local.
Mark Côté 12:22 on 2019-05-30 Permalink
I heard it either from a school governing board chair or the commissioner. I think it was something like 30% of students at Westmount High School were children of temporary workers, with some similar figures at other schools in NDG.