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315 – Nova Scotia's Special Education Policy of 2008, Canada
Responsible body: Department of Education
Country of implementation: Canada (Nova Scotia)
Beneficiaries targeted: Students with special needs, in elementary, primary and secondary school
SUMMARY
Nova Scotia's Special Education Policy of 2008 reinstates the right to inclusive education of all students in Nova Scotia.
The policy outlines the programming for students with special needs in schools across Nova Scotia and is intended to
assist school boards in the development of policies and guidelines that direct the delivery of programs and services to
students with special needs. In 2014, a review of the policy’s outcomes has been undertaken and its recommendations
have been the basis for the new Action Plan for Education launched in 2015.
CONTEXT/P ROBLEMS TARGETED (WITH ADDITIONS FROM THE ZERO P ROJECT T EAM)
In 2008, Nova Scotia’s Department of Education adopted its Special Education Policy that outlined and synthetized the
various programmes related to education of students with special needs. Among others, it is based on the Education Act
and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 15(1), which says that every individual is equal before and under the
law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. To develop the policy
the Department sought information and advice from other provincial Departments of Education across Canada and
consulted numerous people, agencies and organizations.
After a consultation that inspired over 19,000 Nova Scotians to share their views on the public education system, the
Minister’s Panel on Education presented in October 2014 its report “Disrupting the Status Quo: Nova Scotians Demand a
Better Future for Every Student” - the first critical review in 25 years - to the Minister of Education and Early Childhood
Development. In reaction, a new “Action Plan for Education: Renew Refocus Rebuild” was published in 2015 by the
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS
To outline Department of Education policy with regard to the education of Nova Scotia students with special needs in
the primary, elementary, and secondary school system in the Province of Nova Scotia. To assist school boards in the
development of policies that direct the delivery of programs and services to students with special needs, until the age of
21.
KEY F EATURES (W ITH ADDITIONS FROM THE ZERO P ROJECT TEAM)
Nova Scotia’s Special Education Policy of 2008 is to be classified as a provincial non-legally binding regulatory-
distributive policy that supports the basic right of all students to full and equal participation in mainstream education
(as of the Regulations of the Governor in Council pursuant to the Education Act). The policy comprises:
1. Principles: