Support specialized programs & schools made possible by optional attendance!

I went to Claude Watson Arts Program at Earl Haig Secondary School, and it changed my life, broadened my perspectives and made me a better human being. Please don't let programs like this go.

• The Enhancing Equity Task Force Draft Report aimed to identify the existing socioeconomic and cultural-racial disparities among TDSB schools and students, and provided a set of recommendations for reducing such disparities. It is important to recognize and address the issues related to unequal distribution of education resources and access to opportunities. However, the specific recommendation to phase out a number of long-existing and successful specialized programs in the TDSB schools in order to enhance equity is fundamentally flawed in logic and reasoning. • Phasing out all specialized programs (arts, gifted, science, math/stem related, home school, etc.) is by no means a measure that can be used to reduce or eliminate disparities among schools. This approach will only create more disparities by not recognizing and efficiently addressing the SPECIALIZED needs of a large group of TDSB students with diverse socioeconomic and sociocultural backgrounds who have been and will be attending these programs. • (P.14) A main structural issue raised in the report concerns the catchment area, that is, “the location of schools with specialized programs are not equitably distributed or accessible throughout the city. This can have a negative impact on specific neighbourhoods that may be located far from specialized schools or transit.” Such structural geographical barriers should be addressed by (1) re-delineating school catchment areas; (2) rotating or moving specialized programs across schools to provide equal access to low-access neighbourhoods; and (3) ADDING more specialized programs to schools in marginalized neighbourhoods, instead of cancelling ALL existing specialized programs in the TDSB altogether! • (P.14) The report cited a study that examines the over-representation of White students in Arts programs and schools (Gaztambide-Fernández & Parekh, 2017) to justify the recommendation of phasing out the Arts program. This study has been misused to justify

What the TDSB is doing is completely messed up. This will ruin many students. Forcing kids to choose new school will cause anxiety & discourage them to attend their new school. In grade 8, I attended Vaughan Road Academy, sadly it was shut down by the TDSB. It was a big school with low amount of students. My elementary school had less then 100 students & also closed down, but that high school was the perfect match for me. Yet the TDSB had to shut it down, including their program, which was IB. I currently go to Bloor Collegiate Institute, its a small school as well. Since i have anxiety small schools are easier for me and im more comfortable. With small schools being shut down, students like me will suffer big time. Leave us students alone. Allow us to accomplish our goals in comfort. Listen to us closely. Programs shouldn’t shut down nor should any type of school. Do not say “we dont have the money for this school to stay open”, because that is staight on lies. No school should shut down for that reason or ANY reason. Students should not hop to one highschool to another, allow their health to be good. Students are important people and they are just like you guys, we all deserve to be well. Don’t do this to us.

Equality is not a solution. By removing these programs you will only guarantee the equal division of misery. Smarten up and leave these wonderful programs alone.

I don't want to cancel IB 、Tops、art ... program，because the school is a base for training more talents. It is fair to pass the examination.

Add more of these programmes; do not bite off nose to spite face.

As a geeky teen I found my friends and a reason to focus at scool at Claude Watson where our shared passion for the arts was supported. By all means open up opportunity for more kids to learn about the arts, but keep the focus programs for the kids aimed at careers in the field. Many average prigrams don't make up for lack of the few public academies that currently exist. My parents couldn't have paid tuition.

The change, if it happens, is quite short-sighted.

Visit and learn about Etobicoke School of the Arts before deciding ending this kind of public arts education and experience. This is not an elite optional attendance school stealing students and resources from other schools.

I think that this is a complete violation to students’ right to creative output. All students should be allowed to attend whichever school they prefer based on their goals and interests. Specialized programs help to enhance the learning experience for many, as well as to help students accelerate and to showcase their skills.

How in earth does this improve equity??

Some kids are special, ergo specialization

I find in today's time all we are doing is removing the good in our system! Stop cutting corners at the cost of our future!

I don't get it. After stressing for all of 8th grade to get into the highschool of choice and the amazing feeling of being accepted into the highschool of choice, all that hard work suddenly taken away and then being forced to go to our homeschools is absolute bs.

Specialized Programs work for special kids. The time and labour to make these programs so great has been a long term investment. It would be a shame to throw it away.

Why must we all be assimilated? Why can't we continue to encourage and provide opportunities for individual talents? If anything, there should be MORE specialty programs to facilitate the potential in every unique individual NOT less!!!! TDSB should be ashamed for giving this any kind of consideration. They continue to make one poor decision after another...FOR SHAME TDSB

Why

I am totally against the recommendation of TDSB phasing out specialized programs. This is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

We need special programs. It should be continuous for the original purposes to be created.

We need special programs. It should be continuous for the original purposes to be created.