The independent MHA on the province’s west coast has penned a letter to Premier Andrew Furey over what he calls a lack of funding for student assistants.

Eddie Joyce says there are simply not enough assistants available at schools in his district, with many parents choosing to keep their special needs children out of school due to the lack of support.

Joyce says the federally-funded Jordan’s Principle only provides support to children with status, which does not apply to many who need student assistant services.

He’s calling on the province to increase funding so students can access the supports they need.

If extra money does come, Joyce wants to see a task force in place to focus on how student assistant services are evaluated and assigned.