Dr. Karen Ogston

The appellant parent appealed the school board's decision regarding the special education placement of his 17-year-old child, who is identified with autism and a developmental disability.

The student had not attended school for over two years.

While both parties agreed that a Senior Education for Community Living (ECL) class was appropriate, they disagreed on the location, the transition plan, and the partial integration component.

The Tribunal found it had jurisdiction to hear the appeal despite the lack of a Special Education Appeal Board decision, as the school board had failed to convene one.

The Tribunal ordered that the student be placed in a full-time congregated special education class (either ECL or Developmental Education) without mandatory partial integration at this time, following an expedited transition process.