SASKATOON — Saskatchewan NDP Education Shadow Minister Matt Love has raised the issue of recent data showing that school divisions across the province have been sending home students with complex needs, thereby denying their right to full-time access to education.
Love, in a media availability on Monday, Jan. 5, described the situation as a growing crisis in the provincial education system and accused the government, especially Education Minister Everett Hindley, of failing to address it.
The government, in turn, says it is addressing the issue with increased funding, expanded specialized support classrooms, and more classroom complexity teachers.
A recent Inclusion Saskatchewan report, released in December 2025, showed more than 1,300 students with disabilities and other complex needs are being sent home during the school day or, in some cases, excluded from schools in the province’s 18 school divisions.
“I have had discussions with school division leaders across the province. This [sending students home] should be the last resort. This is not the first option for schools to say, ‘We cannot accept this child and create a safe environment for them to learn,’” said Love, who is a former teacher.
The Saskatoon Eastview MLA added that sending a student with complex needs home should be a last resort, and that denying them access to full-time education is not conducive to a healthy learning environment. A school division using it consistently should be a warning sign and a concern for teachers.
Love said this problem is not new and is a result of the Saskatchewan Party-led government’s decade of underfunding and policy failures, noting that the needed support is missing and that families and schools were left in the same situation when classes resumed after the Christmas break.
He described the situation as cruel, callous, and illegal, as it violates the Education Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, and he wrote to the Saskatchewan Ombudsman to investigate the denial of access to education for students with complex needs.
The Provincial Ombudsman, in a reply to Love's letter, advised the Opposition MLA to also send the letter to the Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth, as well as to the Provincial Auditor.
Love, although his focus is on Saskatchewan children being denied their educational rights, said he has heard the same problem in other provinces that may also face familiar challenges, adding that failing to track exclusions sets it apart.
Government points out increased funding, support, teachers
The government, in a statement sent to SaskToday, said it is ensuring access to education is a priority and pointed out that it had increased funding, expanded specialized support classrooms, and added classroom complexity teachers.
They said that they had invested a record of $2.4 billion in operating funding for the 2025-2025 school year to the province’s 27 school divisions — 18 public schools, eight Catholic schools, and one Francophone school — an 8.4 per cent increase, or $186.4 million, from the previous school year.
They also acknowledged that there are challenges and other pressures in the province’s school system, adding that the government is committed to working with school division partners to provide every opportunity for students to succeed.
“Our government is taking steps to ease classroom pressures through initiatives such as expanding the Specialized Support Classroom Model by 50 additional classrooms this year, and funding more complex classroom teachers through the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement,” said the statement.
“School divisions are responsible for assessing student needs and 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 students' overall health and safety.”
