UPDATE: The audio for this story was updated for clarity. June 17, 2025.
Heydon Park Secondary School is one of its kind in Toronto, staff say, catering to students specifically with learning disabilities, trauma-based or those with learning exceptionalities. But in just a year’s time, the special needs high school may be forced to shut down its doors for good.
The Toronto District School Board made the decision to redirect incoming Grade 9 students to other schools, offering no admission to Heydon Park for the 2025-2026 school year. TDSB Board Trustee Deborah Williams says the order to block was made because of limited enrolment.
Many parents, whose children currently attend the school or have already graduated, say the programs Heydon Park offers have been “perfect” fits and disagree with the board’s choice. Then come Monday morning, students walked out en-masse to show their indignation. They’re hopeful the board will go back to the drawing board on this. Meanwhile, MPP Jessica Bell for the New Democrats says the real fight is with Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives, who, she claims, have underfunded education in the province for years already.