Links to the Breadcrumb trail
- Local news
Exclusion is a last resort when a student’s behavior threatens others. They are not a form of discipline.
Publication date:
June 6, 2022 • 3 hours ago • 2 minutes reading Administrators at the Ottawa-Carlton School Board recommended ending the term “excluded” to describe children who are not allowed to go to school because of their behavior. poses a risk to the safety of other students. Photo by Ashley Fraser / POSTMEDIA
Content of the article
Terminology matters, say administrators at the Ottawa-Carlton School Board, who have recommended ending the term “excluded” to describe children who are not allowed to go to school because their behavior poses a risk to the safety of others. students.
Advertising 2
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Students sent home under this scenario should instead be described as subject to a “safety break”, according to a report that will be reviewed by trustees on Tuesday.
The expulsion of students from school is a long-standing practice under the Provincial Education Act.
Exclusion is a last resort when a student’s behavior threatens others. They are not a form of discipline, such as when a student is expelled or expelled from school.
Usually, a student who is “excluded” has no control over his or her behavior or does not understand its consequences due to developmental or mental health conditions.
The Ottawa-Carlton Exclusion Report is part of a board review of “safe school” policies.
During the consultation, some people said they did not like the term “exclusion” and suggested that changing the name would help counteract the feeling of rejection and isolation associated with the term “exclusion”, the report said.
Advertising 3
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Concerns about terminology come from school administrators, multicultural liaison officers, the Special Education Advisory Committee, the Indigenous Education Council and the Justice Advisory Committee.
The word exclusion will still have to be used in data sent to the Ministry of Education and Communications to parents, the report said.
Students may be excluded if their behavior endangers the safety of the physical or mental health of other students. “This may include, but is not limited to, physical injury or injuries and / or mental injuries, such as traumatic effects,” the report said.
Principals may decide to expel a student and must develop a plan for when and under what conditions the student may return to school.
Advertising 4
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
Parents or guardians can appeal the decision to the school board.
Developing the plan and returning the student to school usually takes two or three days, the report said.
The proposed policy requires staff to ensure that “no available support can mitigate the existing risk to student safety” before excluding a student.
“This requirement reinforces the idea that risky behavior is triggered by the environment,” the report said, shifting the student’s focus to a “problem” or challenge.
In response to questions from parents, the report clarified that the policy is not used to expel students from school because they cannot wear a mask or have not been vaccinated.
The proposed policy also recognizes the right of the student to share an opinion and “to give their opinion the necessary weight according to age and stage of development”.
The student facing exclusion will also be entitled to a lawyer during discussions.
The board failed to immediately provide recent statistics on the number of students expelled from school each year, but statistics from 2016-2017 show that this is a rarity at the time, with only 16 students expelled this year. .
Students may also be asked to stay home for part of the day if they are unable to cope with an entire school day, but this is not considered an exclusion.
jmiller@postmedia.com
Share this article on your social network
Advertising 1
This ad is not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
Sign up to receive daily headlines from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
By clicking on the register button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thank you for registering!
Welcome email is on the way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will be in your inbox soon.
There was a problem registering with you. Please, try again
Add Comment