Grand Erie Special Education Plan 2023-24
Standard 14
Equipment
The purpose of the standard is to inform the ministry, board staff members and other professionals, and parents/caregivers about the provision of individualized equipment for students with special needs.
Procedures for determining individualized equipment purchases for students to use at school comply with those outlined in the Ministry of Education document Special Education Funding Guidelines – Special Equipment Amount (SEA). Our goal is to provide a fair, transparent and tailored allocation system that supports students, while bolstering the educators capacity to include all students in classroom programming.
With the support of system level Specialized Services staff, schools prepare a Special Equipment Amount (SEA) funding file for each individual student needing specialized equipment. Requests for equipment (Per Pupil) require the recommendation from a qualified professional such as a Psychologist or Occupational Therapist and the approval from the SEA Approval Committee while others require an assessment (Claims Based) from a qualified professional such as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Psychologist, or other related health care professional or agency indicating that the student requires a specific piece of equipment.
With the support of Specialized Services staff, educators prepare a Special Equipment Amount (SEA) file for individual students requiring specialized equipment. This equipment is to provide students with accommodations that are directly required and essential for one or more of the following:
- attending school,
- accessing the Ontario curriculum,
- supporting or augmenting a board determined alternative program and/or course.
| Required Documents | |
|---|---|
|
Claims-Based Non-Technology |
Per-Pupil Technology |
|
A letter of support from professional indicating that:
|
A data story provides a holistic picture of the daily lived experience of a student at school. We are working to actively humanize the process of gathering and sharing data. Essential statements from a qualified professional for technology requests are not mandatory, and when included serve as a piece of the student’s data story. A data story may include a combination of:
When submitting a request consider and provide insight on:
We want to understand how this equipment will be utilized at school, and have evidence, data and/or assessments to demonstrate that dedicated equipment or technology is essential for the student to achieve. |
|
A copy of the students Individual Education Plan (IEP) identifying equipment in the Learning and Assessment Accommodations and Learning Expectations to provide evidence of intended use. |
|
|
A quote from suppliers for the essential equipment. |
|
| A copy of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) identifying equipment in the Learning and Assessment Accommodations, Learning Expectations, and Transition Plan to support evidence of intended use. | |
Technology request packages are prepared by the school educator team and SEA Approval Committee for review of dedicated technology.
|
Technology |
1 |
Students receive training with assistive technology through LEARNStyle and/or system staff |
|
| 2 |
Teachers are supported with infusing technology into lesson plans, activities, and assessment practices by the SEA Teacher Technician |
||
|
Non-Technology (Claims Based) |
Grand Erie assumes the first $800.00 cost of non-computer equipment purchased for a student. Not all SEA submissions are approved by the Ministry. Grand Erie may assume the purchase costs of equipment deemed necessary for the student. |
Information from approved SEA files will be entered to a spreadsheet and submitted to the Ministry of Education Area Office each year. SEA files are maintained in the event of an audit by the Ministry.
Equipment purchased with SEA funding should be considered as a set of physical assets, which boards have a responsibility to protect, maintain, and manage as a public resource. Grand Erie has developed and follows internal operating policies and procedures regarding the purchase, repair, use and disposal of equipment purchased with SEA funding.
School boards’ responsibilities include ensuring that:
|
equipment is functioning properly and is meeting students’ needs. |
|
|
equipment is replaced as required when students outgrow equipment or when equipment wears out through use. |
|
|
upgrades and refurbishment are considered as an option before replacement. |
|
|
efforts are made to share equipment among several students when appropriate and possible, and supported by the recommendation of the qualified professional (when appropriate). |
|
|
equipment is reused by other students when no longer required by the student for whom it was purchased. |
|
|
policies are developed that provide Grand Erie staff with direction on issues such as managing transfers between schools and boards, use of equipment at students' home or other program settings, staff training on use of SEA equipment, maintaining inventory records. |
|
|
reasonable efforts are made to acquire a fair market value when disposing of used equipment |
|
Grand Erie is required to internally allocate an adequate amount of additional funding to support the other costs associated with ensuring that all students who need equipment have access to appropriate equipment.
.
.