Save Honours/Enriched Education! Stop the VSB from Shutting Down Vital School Programs
Save Honours/Enriched Education! Stop the VSB from Shutting Down Vital School Programs
The Issue
To Students, Parents, Alumni, and Vancouver Community,
We need your help with preserving honours and enriched programs, including mini schools, IB Programs, and Gifted and Special Education Programs, within the Vancouver School Board (VSB). Over the past several years, the VSB has been taking actions to shut down and reduce many vital school programs, such as Hamber Mini, Multi-Age Cluster Classes (MACC), Byng Mini, Britannica IB, the University Transition Program (UTP), and others. This has been done with no community and student input, prior notice, or dialogue with relevant stakeholders.
The VSB continues to close down many specialized and enrichment programs in the name of ‘equity’. Equity is about recognizing that different individuals have different needs, and providing them with the specialized tools to succeed. Students have different educational needs and do not all thrive in the same environment. To maintain equity within education, this needs to be recognized. The VSB’s intended “one-size-fits-all” approach does not provide educational equity and further targets underserved students.
Mini schools provide students with STEM and Humanities enrichment, acceleration, or leadership opportunities that help them be challenged by their education. MACC and UTP are programs designed for gifted and neurodivergent students, and provide a community to support students who struggle within the mainstream school system. These programs help the diverse needs of students, rather than forcing them to conform to a system that doesn’t support their educational needs.
The many school communities are united in our opposition to the VSB’s actions. By signing this petition, we call on the VSB to stop the closure of various honours and enrichment programs. We are asking for transparency, inclusion of student and community voices, equity within education, and research-based action.
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Please also sign these other petitions for specific honours programs that are currently under threat from the VSB:
1,029
The Issue
To Students, Parents, Alumni, and Vancouver Community,
We need your help with preserving honours and enriched programs, including mini schools, IB Programs, and Gifted and Special Education Programs, within the Vancouver School Board (VSB). Over the past several years, the VSB has been taking actions to shut down and reduce many vital school programs, such as Hamber Mini, Multi-Age Cluster Classes (MACC), Byng Mini, Britannica IB, the University Transition Program (UTP), and others. This has been done with no community and student input, prior notice, or dialogue with relevant stakeholders.
The VSB continues to close down many specialized and enrichment programs in the name of ‘equity’. Equity is about recognizing that different individuals have different needs, and providing them with the specialized tools to succeed. Students have different educational needs and do not all thrive in the same environment. To maintain equity within education, this needs to be recognized. The VSB’s intended “one-size-fits-all” approach does not provide educational equity and further targets underserved students.
Mini schools provide students with STEM and Humanities enrichment, acceleration, or leadership opportunities that help them be challenged by their education. MACC and UTP are programs designed for gifted and neurodivergent students, and provide a community to support students who struggle within the mainstream school system. These programs help the diverse needs of students, rather than forcing them to conform to a system that doesn’t support their educational needs.
The many school communities are united in our opposition to the VSB’s actions. By signing this petition, we call on the VSB to stop the closure of various honours and enrichment programs. We are asking for transparency, inclusion of student and community voices, equity within education, and research-based action.
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Please also sign these other petitions for specific honours programs that are currently under threat from the VSB:
1,029
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on March 1, 2024