Ontario Special Education Tribunals Explained

Agency Name:	Ontario Special Education Tribunals
Jurisdiction:	Province of Ontario
Headquarters:	25 Grosvenor StreetToronto, Ontario
Minister1 Name:	Attorney General of Ontario
Agency Type:	Tribunal
Parent Agency:	Tribunals Ontario

The Ontario Special Education Tribunals (OSET; OSET - English, for the English Public and Catholic school boards; OSET - French, for the French Public and Catholic school boards) are independent, quasi-judicial agencies in Ontario, Canada. They are two of 13 adjudicative tribunals under the Ministry of the Attorney General that make up Tribunals Ontario.^[1]

The OSETs hear appeals by parents and guardians who are not satisfied with the school board’s identification or placement of a child with exceptional learning needs.^{[2] [3]}

Authority

The OSETs only hear appeals after parents have completed all possible appeals under the Education Act at the school board level. The Education Act requires parents to “exhaust all rights of appeal”^[4] by going through the school board’s Identification and Placement Review Committee (IPRC) and a Special Education Appeal Board (SEAB) before making an appeal to the OSET.^{[5] [6] [7]} The OSETs are independent from all school boards, IPRCs, and SEABs, as well as the Ministry of Education.^{[8] [9]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tribunals Ontario . Tribunals Ontario.
2. Web site: Ontario Special Education Tribunal . Ontario Special Education Tribunal.
3. Web site: Supreme Court Judgments: Eaton v. Brant County Board of Education . Supreme Court of Canada.
4. Web site: Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2 . "Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2.
5. Web site: The IPRC Appeal Process . THE IPRC APPEAL PROCESS.
6. Web site: Highlights of Regulation 181/98 . Ontario Ministry of Education.
7. Web site: OSET: Appeal &Hearing Process . OSET: Appeal &Hearing Process.
8. Web site: Ontario Ministry of Education . Ontario Ministry of Education.
9. Web site: A PARENT’S GUIDE TO SPECIAL EDUCATION IN ONTARIO . LDAO . Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario . June 22, 2022.