For issues that you feel are serious, by all means, contact the Ministry of Education. The more stories they hear from parents the better. And…psst…the district is not going to want you telling the Ministry anything…feel free to use this strategy as you like.
The Ministry has been helpful with parents. They have intervened and contacted districts. You never know. Write a compelling email and you might get the support you are looking for.
There is a lot of stuff that happens in the background that we will never know about. We have to keep speaking up and telling people who are in positions of authority what we are experiencing. If we want systemic change, we can’t keep these experiences to ourselves.
Parents’ emails absolutely do inform the Ministry of what is happening in reality. We are like their unpaid spies. These people work in offices and they aren’t in schools. Maybe they are a parent, but I am sure they are getting top-of-the-line treatment even if they are. The information they get about what is happening is going to be from the people around them, who they are in contact with, and the communication they receive from parents.
Every letter is an advocacy letter. They all build up over time. Advocacy isn’t always flashy or a big event. It is the constant, consistent speaking up that builds up over time.
If you have something to say, I encourage you to communicate your perception and lived experience to the Ministry.
The Ministry has been helpful to parents for online school issues as well. They have their own department. Sometimes calling will bring you to support faster, especially if it is urgent and time-sensitive.
I am putting them here for your convenience.
ECC.Minister@gov.bc.ca – Minister
DM.Education@gov.bc.ca – Deputy Minister
inclusive.education@gov.bc.ca – Inclusive Education department
Literacysupports@gov.bc.ca – Literacy-related questions
** Connected to the K-12 Screening for Literacy Supports
If the Ministry doesn’t hear from parents, they have no way of knowing the realities of the classroom, and as I have heard from many external organizations, if they don’t hear from parents, they assume that everything is fine and there are no issues. If your child isn’t getting enough support in the classroom and the school is blaming a lack of funding or resources, email the Ministry. Can you imagine if every parent started emailing them when their kids were excluded from the classroom or were lacking in enough support hours??
You may also want to CC: the BC Office of Human Rights Commissioner in your email to the Ministry if you feel that your child with a disability is not getting a proper education. info@bchumanrights.ca. There is a call for an inquiry so the more everyone is aware of the situations happening in education, the better.
You never know what may lead to what. Just like the Ombudsperson investigation on exclusion, we need as many people to let organizations know what is going on. The Human Rights Commissioner absolutely needs to be aware of what is happening in education. She is the independent oversight body for human rights.
If your process with the Ministry was unsatisfactory, feel free to file an Ombudsperson complaint.
The Ministry has 30 business days to reply back to you.
If you have any concerns connected to the Ministry of Education, how they handle privacy, you can file a complaint with the Privacy Compliance and Training Branch of the Ministry of Citizens’ Services. The Privacy Compliance and Training Branch (PCTB) is responsible for responding to privacy complaints regarding all government ministries.
Please contact PCTB at privacy.helpline@gov.bc.ca or call 250-356-1851. If you are not satisfied with their response or do not receive a response after 30 business days, you may submit a complaint to the OIPC.
