Concern is being raised over the use of exclusion, restraint or seclusion of students with disabilities in school to limit disruptions in the classroom.
A survey from Community Living Ontario cites the actions are being used on students as young as 5.
It also found that 31% of students with disabilities were sent home or instructed to stay home because the school was unable to meet their needs.
Twenty-nine percent of caregivers reported their child were secluded in school, including being placed in a separate room away from their peers that was often locked or the door blocked.
Fourteen percent of caregivers reported their child being restrained in school, including being held down on the ground.
Director of Social Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Shawn Pegg, says educators are not to blame as they are doing their best in often difficult circumstances.
“However, they lack adequate support, sufficient training and proper guidance in how to appropriately meet the learning and emotional needs of many students with disabilities,” says Pegg.
The association is turning to the provincial government to step in.
It recommends increased access to appropriate and adequate staffing and other supports for students, increased access to trauma-informed training for educational staff and administrators, clear provincial regulations and policies and a requirement that schools, school boards, and the Ministry of Education track and report on the use of seclusion, restraint, exclusion, and partial-day attendance.
“We think it’s quite important for the province to provide guidance to school boards because it honestly seems like they’re making it up as they go along, says Pegg.
“And the fact is, I believe it’s something like 30 school boards don’t actually have policies on restraint or seclusion.”
