TDSB cancels Grade 9 fall enrolment for special needs school

Since 1923, what is now Heydon Park Secondary School has been an important place for young women with special needs.

“I just loved this school,” graduate Jessica Rotolo told CTV News Toronto. “It’s amazing. I loved it when I was a student here because all of the teachers were very accepting.”

What began as a vocational school has since grown into a secondary school and safe haven for female, transgender, and non-binary students with special education needs.

The school accepts students from across the city, and offers specialized programming and courses meant to prepare these students for the future.

But now the future of the school is being questioned, after a notice was posted on the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) website advising that there would be no grade nine admissions for the upcoming school year.

“My biggest fear is that because they’ve eliminated grade nines coming in to the school... are they now going to close Heydon Park down?”

That’s the question Rotolo’s mom, Dorlean, has been asking.

“This school’s been around for a hundred years—they know what they’re doing when it comes to educating young women with special needs,” she said.

According to the TDSB, enrolment at Heydon Park has been declining over the years, due to the fact that neighbourhood schools are getting better at supporting a wider range of student needs.

The board told CTV News that only nine students applied to be a part of the grade nine class in the upcoming school year. Those students will now be sent to alternative sites next fall.

But, parents say the services offered at Heydon Park aren’t found anywhere else and believe students with special needs won’t get the same level of care and attention at other schools.

From a small school environment to a protective atmosphere, there are specialized supports and staff to help students with exceptional needs. The school, which is located near Dundas Street West and Beverley Street, also has a number of community partnerships in the area.

“It was a gut punch,” said parent Nadine D’Aigle, of the news that no grade nine students would be entering the school next year.

D’Aigle says the school has been “life-changing” for her daughter, and questions whether the board is moving toward closing the specialized school.

“It just feels like there’s already a plan in place and that this has been in motion to perhaps close Heydon Park despite the moratorium on school closures.”

In a statement, the board said, “No decision has been made at this time about the long-term plan for Heydon Park, and board staff will continue to monitor its enrolment TDSB’s Long-Term Program and Accommodation Strategy has already identified a study to look at options for the future of Heydon Park.”

A provincial moratorium on school closures remains in effect, something the TDSB acknowledges. But it’s not easing the worries that parents of students who attend Heydon Park have.

“Why do our children with special needs get that taken away from them?,” questioned Rotolo. “I am absolutely livid that this is happening to this school.”

The co-chair of the Heydon Park parent council calls the move unfair.

“This is what they do to save money in TDSB?,” asked Kamala Kalsi. “It’s not fair, not fair at all.”

The trustee for the area says she’s asked for a meeting with board staff to examine options for the future of the school.

“Heydon Park for me is a very special place,” said Deborah Williams. “I’d really like to see that program have an opportunity to grow.”

Williams says the services offered at the school pre-date the amalgamation of the TDSB, but she believes the programs it offers are still needed.

“The value of the programming and the supports that it offers to those students... I think it’s unique and it’s still valuable.”

Parents say they plan to fight any changes to the school or its programming. They’ve launched an online petition and are currently working on ways to get their message out to the broader community about a school that has changed the lives of countless young women.