Disabled students increasingly being secluded and restrained: new report

Students with special needs and disabilities in Ontario are facing more instances of being excluded, isolated or even restrained, according to a new report. It’s calling on the Ford government to provide more resources as needed

The “Crisis in the Classroom” report from Community Living Ontario offers firsthand stories and survey findings of more than 500 parents of disabled students. When asked about their child’s experiences, 29 per cent said they had been isolated while in school, 14 per cent were restrained at least once, and 31 per cent had been sent home or instructed to stay home.

“It is almost incomprehensible that students with disabilities, some as young as five and six years old, are being physically restrained and isolated from their peers. This is especially true given that these issues have been well known in the school system for more than a decade,” said Shawn Pegg, the director of social policy and strategic initiatives with Community Living Ontario.

The report says there is little or no provincial guidance or data collected on the issues of seclusion, restraint, and school exclusion.

The Ford government, on the other hand, will tout record spending, and the Education Minister can fall back on being new to the file.

“Now we’re providing significant resources for special education, but if more needs to be done, then we’ll do more. I want to sit down and learn a little bit more about some of the specifics that were highlighted in that report,” said Minister Paul Calandra.

Recommendations include increasing access to appropriate staffing, more provincial regulations and proper tracking and reporting of incidents. 

“Nearly every school board in the province is spending more on special education than what they are getting from this government. And that’s for a scenario in which we’re still not able to meet the needs of students,” said Ontario NDP Education Critic Chandra Pasma.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission actually has a policy on accessible education for students with disabilities. It says that all students, even those whose behaviour is disruptive, are entitled to receive accommodation.