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School safety
Our limited review did not locate one province-wide policy. Ask your board for its current written rule and separate location, audio, recording, and data-access questions.
Read time
About 5 minutes
For
Parents of children who elope
Updated
August 2026
Direct answer
Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56 · Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities · Review of published Ontario school board policy on parent-supplied location devices · Verified 2026-08-08
Source: Review of published Ontario school board policy on parent-supplied location devices · Reviewed 2026-08-08
| Question area | What to consider | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Device functions | Consumer trackers vary. Some report location; some can transmit or record sound; and their apps may store or share data in different ways. A board may assess those functions differently. Do not assume which function is driving a refusal; ask the school to identify it. | Review of published Ontario school board policy on parent-supplied location devices |
| Board privacy obligations | School boards have obligations under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act when they collect, use, disclose, or retain personal information. Whether and how that statute applies to a particular parent-supplied device depends on the facts. Ask the board to identify the policy and privacy issue it relies on. | Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56 |
| Possible mitigation | You can offer a narrowly tailored mitigation, such as disabling audio or recording if those functions are not needed, but that does not guarantee approval. It gives the board a more specific accommodation and safety request to assess. | Review of published Ontario school board policy on parent-supplied location devices |
Step 1
Email the request rather than raising it at pickup. Name the safety need, reference any documented elopement history, and ask that the device be addressed in the safety plan within the Individual Education Plan.
Step 2
Audio capability disabled, device worn under clothing, data visible only to you, no recording function in use during the school day. This narrows the objection before it is raised.
Step 3
Request the specific board policy relied on. A refusal that cannot cite a written policy is a different conversation from one that can, and you need to know which you are having.
Step 4
Bring the safety documentation rather than restating the request. This is the level at which board-wide policy, as opposed to one principal’s judgement, is actually set.
Step 5
Trustees govern board policy. Where several families raise the same request, it stops being one child’s accommodation and becomes a policy question.
We cannot tell you what your board’s policy says, because most boards do not publish one and we have not seen them. Anyone presenting a definitive Ontario-wide answer on this is guessing.
Our August 2026 review did not locate a province-wide Ontario policy that specifically permits or prohibits a parent-supplied location device at school. That is a limited negative finding, not proof that no relevant rule exists. Ask the school board for the current written policy it relies on.
A device that transmits or records audio can capture staff and other students, so audio is one privacy issue a board may consider. Location collection, access to the data, retention, and recording functions can raise separate questions. Ask the board to identify its concern in writing and consider whether disabling a function addresses it.
Ask for it to be addressed in the safety plan within the Individual Education Plan. That ties the device to a documented disability-related safety need rather than an informal arrangement that can be withdrawn without notice.
Ask for the refusal in writing along with the specific board policy relied on, then escalate to the special education superintendent and your trustee. Where a refusal leaves a disability-related safety need unaddressed, it may raise a duty-to-accommodate question under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Related
A location device is one part of a plan. The rest belongs in the IEP, in writing, where it survives a change of staff.
| Date | Record | Publisher | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government source | Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56 | Government of Ontario | Government source |
| Government source | Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities | Ontario Human Rights Commission | Government source |
| 2026-08-08 Research source | Review of published Ontario school board policy on parent-supplied location devices | End The Wait Ontario | Research source |
Guides and tools related to this page.
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. Pending verification: Editorial review not recorded. Excluded from citation-ready exports.
Source: Ontario Education Act · Open source record
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