The McGuinty government has left hundreds of workers in Hamilton to fend for themselves by arbitrarily rejecting their applications for the Second Career Program.

“More than 100 people who had completed their applications in early September were turned down after the Ministry imposed an arbitrary deadline of August 31,” charged NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese.

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne has backed down on her ministry’s decision to discontinue funding the Arrowsmith special education program at the Toronto Catholic District School Board, a board she took over earlier this year.

NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese criticized the Minister of Education for allowing the Arrowsmith program to be cut from the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s budget.

Arrowsmith is a daily cognitive exercise program that helps students to overcome problems with reading, comprehension, mathematics, logical reasoning, and dyslexia among others. Studies indicate that a majority of children who complete the Arrowsmith program are able to completely overcome learning difficulties – no longer requiring special education programs.

NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese today criticized the Liberal government for continuing to under-fund the education system in Ontario, putting cash-strapped schools in a position where they must choose between pop machine contracts and the health of students.

NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese today condemned the Ministry of Education’s School Information Finder website for its inclusion of offensive and discriminatory information about students and parents.

In the wake of the Tori Stafford case, NDP MPP Rosario Marchese is supporting the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) review of the Amber Alert system and wants to ensure the public is given the opportunity to participate.