Concerns are growing over the medical responsibilities being carried out by education support workers in Saskatchewan schools. In response to this growing phenomenon, advocates are calling for clearer standards and more consistent training for staff. CUPE Saskatchewan says many education support workers are providing medical and personal care to students without consistent training, clear direction or adequate support. For Jennifer Simmons, the issue is personal. Her eight-year-old daughter, Kinsley, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last November. Simmons says Kinsley missed a significant portion of the last school year in her local school in Midale, Saskatchewan, because adequately trained staff were not available to meet her medical needs. “We want the next family to find a standard waiting for them instead of a fight, so no child is excluded while schools figure it out, so families don’t have to fight this hard,” Simmons said. Simmons and other advocates are calling on the provincial government to ensure education workers have the skills and support needed to care for students with complex medical needs. “And so children like Kinsley can safely do the most ordinary thing in the world — go to school,” she said. Earlier this year, CUPE Saskatchewan’s Education Workers’ Steering Committee released survey results suggesting education workers across the province are regularly taking on medical procedures and other responsibilities without consistent training or clear standards. Karla Sastaunik, chair of the committee, said the duties can include administering insulin and other medications, using EpiPens, providing tube feedings, responding to seizures, performing wound care, catheterization and personal care. Matt Love, the Saskatchewan NDP’s education critic, says the province needs to take action. “For Kinsley, the lack of consistent standards and supports can be barriers to attending school and participating fully in the education that she deserves,” Love said. In a statement to CTV News, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Education said: “The Government has a policy that requires school divisions to support students with medical conditions through coordinated planning, appropriate training and collaboration with families and healthcare professionals,” read the statement. “School divisions are responsible for assessing individual student needs, making operational decisions, including staffing. “These decisions are made locally to ensure flexibility and responsiveness to community needs and are made in the best interests of the overall health and safety of students.” With the start of the new school year approaching, Simmons says there are still many unanswered questions about what Kinsley’s education will look like. “The division suggested another French immersion school in another division in another city, away from her friends and away from her community,” she said. For Kinsley’s family, her mother says that is far from an ideal solution for this Grade 3 student. She hopes clearer standards and properly trained staff will ensure children with medical needs can attend school safely, without families having to fight for the support they need.
