The parents of a seven-year-old boy with autism who was fatally struck by a city bus in Hamilton last month are calling on the province to increase funding for special education, saying their son should have been in school the day he died.
Chris and Emily Simao say their son, Max, who was non-verbal and had autism, was placed on a modified school schedule in October after they were told there was no longer an educational assistant available to support him. As a result, Max was sent home from school on the day of the incident.
Max was struck by a Hamilton Street Railway bus on the afternoon of Dec. 11 and later died in hospital from his injuries.
Kate Dudley-Logue, vice-president of the Ontario Autism Coalition, said thousands of students with special education needs across the province are not attending full school days, most often because schools lack the staff and resources to support them. She is urging the provincial government to increase funding, particularly for special education workers.
The Simao family said Max loved school and described his reduced schedule as a denial of his right to an education, which they say stemmed from chronic underfunding in the system.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, speaking at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, said the province is providing what he described as an unprecedented level of funding to hire educators.
Hamilton police have said their investigation found no evidence that the actions of either the bus driver or the child’s caregiver contributed to the incident. Police said the driver remained at the scene and co-operated fully with investigators.