Public Statements by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

The following statement was issued January 28, 2025, by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. It follows a matter referred to the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission.

The Province of New Brunswick and the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (“APSEA”) are committed to a model of education responsive to the unique abilities and needs of its deaf and hard of hearing students. The development of this approach has been challenging, and the Province and APSEA are constantly seeking opportunities to make improvements. In this respect, the Province and APSEA thank Heather Chandler, her daughter, and the Human Rights Commission for bringing various issues to our attention and for their cooperation in working to resolve many of the issues they identified. The Province and APSEA will continue their work in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders, including the Human Rights Commission, to improve the services provided to deaf and hard of hearing students.
 

The following statement, in respect to a matter filed with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, which was referred to the Labour and Employment Board after an investigation was completed. As the matter was then resolved between the parties, there will be no further comment.

In 2014 the school district misinterpreted the law regarding accommodations and their interaction with collective agreements, including delicate relationship clause for EA’s given the employee's casual status. We thank the complainant and the Human Rights Commission for their cooperation in working through this issue over the last 7.5 years and we thank the complainant for bringing it to our attention. The delay in implementing a delicate relationship in a timely manner has had a negative impact on the student’s right to education in an inclusive and safe environment.