But one group of Calgary school staff not expecting layoffs Thursday were speech language pathologists — school employees who help students who struggle with language and communication in the classroom. The move was especially surprising to speech language pathologists considering recent word from the provincial government that program unit funding (PUF) would continue to flow to school authorities. One speech language pathologist, whom CBC News has agreed to keep anonymous as they fear impact on future employment, said the CBE had laid off all speech language pathologists previously funded by PUF. PUF supports children with moderate to severe exceptional needs," the speech language pathologist said. Though the situation between Alberta Education and the CBE remains muddied, Calgary speech language pathologists say the kids will be the ones who suffer in the interim.

Source: CBC News April 11, 2020 13:52 UTC