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Ontario schools can use physical restraint and seclusion rooms, and most parents don't find out until after it has already happened. Here is what the law says, what your rights are, and what to do if your autistic child is being restrained.
Direct answer
Policy/Program Memorandum 145 — Progressive Discipline and Promoting Positive Student Behaviour · Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19 · Verified 2026-08-10
This is not legal advice. It is a practical sequence for the first hours and days after a restraint or seclusion incident, before you move to the fuller escalation process below.
Step 1
Call your doctor or go to urgent care / the ER before anything else. Ask the clinician to document the visit as related to a school incident.
Step 2
Photograph any marks or bruising with a timestamp. Save clothing if damaged. Write down what your child tells you in their own words, dated and timed, before memory fades.
Step 3
Email the principal (not a phone call) asking for the written incident report: date, time, duration, staff involved, and what was tried before restraint. Ask them to confirm receipt.
Step 4
If the school asks you to sign an incident acknowledgment or a revised behaviour plan at pickup, you can decline to sign until you've reviewed it. Take a copy home first.
Physical restraint includes any use of physical force to hold, block, or restrict a student's movement, including holding a student's arms, pinning them to the ground, or blocking a doorway to prevent exit.
Mechanical restraint means the use of straps, harnesses, or other devices to restrict movement. This is extremely rare in Ontario schools and should trigger immediate escalation if encountered.
Chemical restraint, the use of medication to control behaviour rather than to treat a medical condition, is also extremely rare in school settings but is a form of restraint if used for behavioural management purposes.
Seclusion means placing a student alone in a room or space that they cannot freely leave. It does not matter what the room is called, "calm room," "quiet room," or "chill space", if the student cannot exit on their own, it is seclusion.
Rooms that lock from the outside, or that are staffed specifically to prevent the student from leaving, qualify as seclusion regardless of labelling.
Not seclusion: A student choosing to take a voluntary break in a sensory room or quiet space that they can freely leave at any time, with staff nearby but not blocking exit.
These are the actual legal texts and policies that apply. Where a card notes an advocacy interpretation, that is a position argued from the source, not a settled legal conclusion.
Statute
No specific section governs restraint or seclusion. Section 265(1)(a) gives principals a duty to maintain order and safety, schools sometimes cite this to justify restraint, but it does not authorize indiscriminate use.
The Act requires IEPs for students with special education needs (Reg. 181/98) and IPRC processes for identification and placement.
Statute
The Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits disability-based discrimination in services and education. Schools have a duty to accommodate students with disabilities to the point of undue hardship.
Advocacy interpretation: Disproportionate or routine use of restraint on autistic students, when appropriate accommodation or a positive behaviour support plan would reduce the need, advocates argue may constitute discrimination under the Code. This is not a guaranteed outcome; it would need to be established in a specific case.
Ministry policy
Policy/Program Memorandum 145 requires every school board to have a progressive discipline policy. It emphasizes preventive and supportive approaches, but does not explicitly define or regulate the use of physical restraint or seclusion.
Most Ontario school boards have their own restraint and seclusion policies with varying levels of protection. Request your board's policy in writing.
The absence of provincial legislation is a significant gap. Ontario has no law that specifically governs restraint and seclusion in schools. Families rely on individual school board policies, which vary.
Related: school exclusions are a separate process, and a suspension has its own 10-school-day appeal window.
Once immediate safety and evidence are handled, work through these requests in writing. Every communication with the school should be followed up by email so there is a paper trail before you move to the escalation ladder below.
Ask for the date, time, duration, staff involved, what triggered the incident, and what was done before restraint was attempted. Keep copies of everything.
Contact the principal and vice-principal in writing. State that you are requesting an urgent IEP review due to the use of physical restraint.
If no FBA has been completed, request one in writing. An FBA identifies triggers and patterns and must precede any positive behaviour support plan.
The behaviour safety plan should prioritize de-escalation strategies, environmental modifications, and preventive supports, not reactive physical intervention.
Follow up every verbal conversation with an email summarizing what was said and agreed. Send to the principal and copy the superintendent. Keep all records.
If a rung does not resolve the issue within a reasonable time, or your written request is ignored, move to the next rung. Keep every email; each rung above the first will ask to see what you already sent.
Rung 1
Written request for the incident report and an urgent IEP review meeting. Copy every email to yourself.
Rung 2
If the school does not respond in writing within a reasonable time, escalate in writing to the superintendent, attaching your earlier emails.
Rung 3
Bring a pattern of unresolved restraint or seclusion incidents to your board's SEAC for a systemic response, not just your individual case.
How SEAC worksRung 4
File a formal complaint through the board's own complaint policy, requesting a written decision.
Rung 5
If the board complaint process is exhausted or unresponsive, the Ombudsman can review how the board handled your complaint.
Visit the OmbudsmanRung 6
A human rights application, filed within one year of the last incident, if restraint or seclusion is tied to a failure to accommodate disability.
HRTO for education casesThese are warning signs that restraint or seclusion is being misused. If you recognize any of these, treat them as urgent and begin documenting immediately.
Free legal advice and representation for people with disabilities in Ontario. Handles education law, HRTO applications, and school board disputes.
Visit ARCHFile a formal complaint about disability-based discrimination in education. The OHRC also publishes policy guidance on education rights.
Visit OHRCAdvocacy support for people with intellectual disabilities across Ontario, including school-related advocacy and systemic change work.
Visit Community LivingGuides and tools related to this page.
How does special education work in Ontario schools?
Ontario's Education Act guarantees special education programs and services to students with exceptional needs. [Education Act] Autistic students are typically identified under Communication - Autism or Multiple Exceptionalities categories, which trigger legal obligations for accommodations and support planning.
Source: Ontario Education Act · Open source record
Sources on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Under Ontario Regulation 181/98, an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) can place a student in a special education program. Once that placement starts, the principal has 30 school days to make sure an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is completed. Ministry policy (PPM 140) also lets boards write IEPs for students who have not been formally identified by an IPRC
Check the author’s context, review method, and how to report an error.
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Lived experience: Parent of autistic child navigating OAP system