Under a mandated policy of inclusion in Manitoba, children with special needs are taught in classrooms with other children.
Some say the policy benefits children, while others question whether students are getting the assistance they need.
Amanda Manness is a teacher at Lord Roberts School. She supports the policy of inclusion.
"I think it benefits all the students because they learn to accept others for who they are," says Manness.
Monique St. Germain's son Dylan has autism and he is in one of Manness' classes.
"He takes a little bit to process things. So when you talk to him, sometimes you have to wait a few seconds, sometimes a little longer, to get a response," says St. Germain.
As a result, Manness has adapted her lesssons.
"We will work together and decide what he can do from the assignment -- whether it's shortening it, whether having him do a visual instead of the writing," says Manness.
But some say that doesn't benefit Dylan or other students.
John Long and Rod Clifton are two of the authors of a book called What's Wrong with Our Schools: and How We Can Fix Them.
They suggest policies of inclusion force teachers to divide their attention, which may prevent scholastic achievement.
"The children who otherwise are quite gifted…they're not going to be well-served under a strategy in which attention is focused always in the middle or at the bottom," says John Long.
They said it doesn't make sense to teach people with vastly different abilities all in the same class.
Clifton and Long said some children should instead be put in segregated classes.
"A severely handicapped child would be best served by a specialized environment," says Long.
Monique St. Germain said that may be true from a strictly academic perspective, but adds other matters come into play for students like her son Dylan.
"He has to be a whole person. It's not just about academics. It's also about making friends. It's also about being around and being able to function in society," says St. Germain.
School officials also say children need to learn about living in a world filled with diversity.
"We…certainly don't want to create a community where we only accept those who are just like us," said Julie Millar, director of student support services at the Winnipeg School Division.
- with a report from CTV's Jon Hendricks
