Cayman Current (https://www.caymancurrent.org/tag/sen/)
The Ministry of Education implemented a new policy on Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at the beginning of this school year, applying to both public and private schools in the Cayman Islands.
Students receiving school-based support for potential Special Education Needs and Disabilities appear to perform markedly better on Year 11 exams than peers in the first stage of being monitored for SEND.
The candidates for Newlands talked about re-integrating the Cayman Islands public school system based on nationality, and used that issue as a springboard into discussion of inclusion for students with disabilities.
Comments made by Premier Alden McLaughlin about the limitations of legislation and prevailing cultural attitudes toward people with disabilities sparked disagreements from political candidates and parents of children with special needs.
More than 10% of Cayman Islands public school students have significant special education needs. In the month of January, government paid more than $110,000 for SEN assistance from private contractors.
The percentage of Cayman Islands students identified as having Special Education Needs or Disabilities varies widely from school to school, even among public schools — which are subject to regulations that private schools are not.