NANAIMO — Designed to provide students with diversabilities a more suitable environment to thrive, local school district trustees support expanding its District Skills Program to Wellington Secondary School.
Aimed to be in place for the start of next school year, the program helps students with unique needs gain functional life skills, confidence and independence to participate in school, community and daily life, according to a staff report by SD68 secretary-treasurer Mark Walsh.
SD68 trustees unanimously approved the program expansion to Wellington Secondary, which builds on the same curriculum currently in place at Nanaimo District Secondary School.
Walsh believes the 18 students currently enrolled in the District Skills Program at NDSS this year is an all-time high.
“That need, theoretically, it’s not exponential, but it’s certainly not going to decline,” Walsh told a Wednesday, Oct. 28 SD68 board meeting, who noted most of the program’s participants have acute medical needs.
He said the district would split program participants at the secondary level, noting investments will be required, such as a specialized exterior door and equipment purchases.
Providing a service in a different part of the city allows the program to be offered closer to home for some students, Walsh said.
“We charted where the current existing population and anticipated population lives, and we’re looking at about 10 kids that live in the north, about 10 kids that live in the central and the south of the district, so it works very well geographically.”
Walsh told the meeting that this program helps address growing numbers of students with complex needs.
He said more of these students are returning to the public school system due to staffing challenges and rising service costs impacting external providers.
Walsh cautioned the program launching in time for next school year at Wellington school is contingent on receiving a required building permit from the City of Nanaimo.
Walsh pointed out recent improvements to the program’s NDSS space included a sensory room.
Trustee Mark Robinson called bringing the program to Wellington Secondary School “an absolute win”.
“Even if the program is not so robust and we revert back to NDSS or vice versa, Wellington now has a more inclusive model, it will have more inclusive infrastructure,” Robinson said.
Bus transportation would be required to deliver students to and from Wellington Secondary for the specialized programming, Walsh noted.
SD68 views broadening its District Skills Program as a requirement to maintain the offering’s quality, student safety and appropriate staffing supports.
Currently, Georgia Avenue Community School and Rutherford Elementary School offer the SD68 District Skills Program at the K-7 level.
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