Privacy, on your terms.Analytics run by default. Decline any time.

Education Rights

School Refusal for Autistic Children: What Schools Must Do

When an autistic child cannot attend school due to a documented medical or psychological reason, Ontario schools have legal obligations, and truancy is not the answer.

Direct answer

When an autistic child cannot attend school due to a documented medical or psychological reason, Ontario schools have legal obligations, and truancy is not the answer.

Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, Section 1 · Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2, s. 170(1) para. 7 · Verified 2026-08-10

What's happening

Your child cannot attend school in the usual way, for a medical or psychological reason. Schools sometimes respond as though this is truancy or a behaviour problem. It is neither, once there is documentation. A documented, disability-related barrier to attendance triggers the school's duty to accommodate.

Ask for this in writing today

Send this to the principal by email, with your clinician's documentation attached, so there is a dated written record.

Subject: Requesting a written accommodation/reintegration plan — [Child's name]

Dear [Principal's name],

[Child's name] has a documented medical/psychological reason for their current difficulty attending school, as set out in the attached letter from [clinician name/role]. I am requesting that the school develop a written accommodation or reintegration plan addressing this.

Specifically, I am asking the school to:
- Confirm receipt of this request and the attached clinical documentation
- Propose a written plan (for example: modified hours, a phased return, or sensory/environmental accommodations) within a reasonable timeframe
- Schedule a meeting to discuss the plan

Please respond in writing. I am keeping a dated record of all communication on this issue.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Date]

A starting point to adapt with your own details — not legal advice.

What governs this, and what we recommend

Governing duty and advocacy position, with their supporting sources
AreaWhat appliesSource
Governing dutyThe Ontario Human Rights Code requires schools to accommodate disability-related barriers to attendance to the point of undue hardship. The Education Act requires boards to provide special education programs and services for their exceptional pupils.Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, Section 1
Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2, s. 170(1) para. 7
Our advocacy positionDocumented school refusal should be treated as a disability accommodation request from the first written contact, not after weeks of informal back and forth. This is our recommendation, not a guaranteed outcome.Our recommendation

Keep these records

Every rung of the escalation ladder below will ask what you documented and when.

Dated log of every refusal or exclusion

Note the date, who initiated it (you, the school, or your child), and what was said. A dated chronology is what every rung of the escalation ladder will ask you for.

Every school communication, in writing

After any phone call, send a same-day follow-up email summarizing what was discussed. This turns a verbal exchange into a written record you can reference later.

Clinical documentation

Keep a copy of the assessment or letter from your child's pediatrician, psychologist, or OAP-affiliated clinician that explains the medical or psychological basis for the refusal.

Your child's current IEP

Keep the most recent Individual Education Plan on hand. Any reintegration or accommodation plan should reference it, and gaps between the IEP and what is actually happening are evidence.

Steps for Parents Facing School Refusal

  1. Get a written assessment

    Work with your child's clinician, pediatrician, psychologist, or OAP team, to document the medical or psychological reason for school refusal in writing. This creates the legal basis for accommodation.

  2. Request an accommodation plan

    Bring the clinical documentation to the school and formally request that a reintegration or accommodation plan be developed. Submit this request by email to the principal so there is a record.

  3. Explore modified return options

    Ask the school to consider partial days, modified environments, sensory accommodations, or a phased return schedule. The specific approach should match what the clinical documentation recommends.

  4. Escalate if the school is unresponsive

    If the principal does not respond with a concrete plan within a reasonable timeframe, escalate to the board's Superintendent of Special Education in writing. Reference the school's duty to accommodate under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

If the school does not respond

A condensed path from principal to formal complaint. The full ladder, with letter templates for every step, is at the School Support Navigator.

  1. Step 1

    Step 1: School principal

    Put the request in writing

    Send the clinical documentation and a written request for an accommodation or reintegration plan to the principal by email. Most school-refusal cases resolve at this level once there is a dated, written record.

    Ontario Human Rights Code — duty to accommodate a disability-related barrier.

  2. Step 2

    Step 2: Superintendent of Special Education

    Escalate if there is no written plan

    If the principal does not respond with a concrete plan within a reasonable timeframe, forward your correspondence to the board's Superintendent of Special Education and ask for a written response.

    Education Act, s. 170(1) para. 7 — boards must provide special education programs and services.

  3. Step 3

    Step 3: Board, Ombudsman, or HRTO

    Use the formal channels

    If the board still does not act, an IPRC review, a complaint to Ombudsman Ontario, or a human rights application to the HRTO are the formal next steps. Each has its own process and deadlines.

See the full escalation ladder →

School Refusal: Common Questions

Not if it has a documented medical or psychological basis. Schools must treat medically documented school refusal as a disability-related barrier to attendance and provide appropriate accommodations. Treating it as truancy without considering the disability context may violate the Ontario Human Rights Code.

With proper documentation from a qualified clinician, alternative arrangements, such as a modified reintegration plan, temporary remote learning, or a phased return, must be considered by the school board. The board cannot simply refuse to explore alternatives.

Your child's pediatrician, registered psychologist, or OAP-affiliated clinician can provide documentation. The documentation should explain the medical or psychological reason for school refusal and, ideally, recommend specific accommodations or a reintegration approach.

Put your request in writing

A dated written request is what you can point to later. The School Support Navigator builds one for your situation.

Build a school letterFind your board contact

Legal authority for this page

Legal authority for this page
DateRecordPublisherSource type
1990Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, Section 1Government of OntarioGovernment source
1990Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2, s. 170(1) para. 7Government of OntarioGovernment source
Citable facts from this page(2)

What rights do parents have if their child is excluded from school in Ontario?

Parents can: (1) request written reasons for any exclusion, (2) appeal s.265(1)(m) exclusions to the school board, (3) request an IPRC meeting under Regulation 181/98, (4) cite the OHRC Policy on Accessible Education requiring accommodation to undue hardship, (5) file an HRTO complaint for discrimination in education services, (6) contact the Ontario Ombudsman. The Supreme Court in Moore v. BC (2012 SCC 61) held special education is "not a dispensable luxury."

Source: OHRC Policy on Accessible Education (2018); Moore v. British Columbia, 2012 SCC 61 · Open source record

What rights do autistic students have in Ontario schools?

In Ontario, students with autism have the right to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and reasonable accommodations without a formal diagnosis, based on need. Parents can request an IPRC meeting to identify their child as 'exceptional', guaranteeing specific rights to support services.

Source: Ontario Education Act · Open source record

Sources on this page

The source chain stays visible.

Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.

Facts1
Sources2

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

Primary sourceGovernment of Ontario (1998)Verified 2026-10-04
Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.
View methodologyBrowse every source

About this page

Check the author’s context, review method, and how to report an error.

Written by

Founder & Autism Advocate

Lived experience: Parent of autistic child navigating OAP system