Human Rights Tribunal Finds School Board Provided Reasonable Accommodations For Student With ASD

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario recently dismissed an application made by a mother on behalf of her son, a Grade 2 student diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a learning disability.  She alleged that the Upper Grand District School Board (the "Board") failed to properly accommodate the student's disabilities and had, therefore, denied him meaningful access to education.

Beginning in Junior Kindergarten, the student attended a French Immersion program at a school of the Board. While the student had some behavioural problems during Grade 1, he was able to successfully transition to Grade 2 with the help of a behaviour plan implemented by the school. At the outset of the student's Grade 2 year, however, his behavioural problems escalated, resulting in the school developing several strategies to assist him and assigning him two educational assistants. Unfortunately, his dysregulation became more extreme; in addition to eloping from the classroom, he