Resources for Ontario teachers and education workers

For a family to ask the school for a written plan if staffing changes or job action affect their child’s supports. It is written in the family’s voice, so share it rather than send it yourself.

To: Principal; superintendent responsible for special education  
Subject: Written support-continuity plan requested for [child’s name]

Dear [names],

I am requesting a written plan for [child’s name] to access and benefit from education if staffing changes or a work stoppage affects the supports on which they rely.

The relevant needs are [communication, personal care, supervision, sensory regulation, mobility, transitions or other needs]. The current arrangements are [brief description]. The documents already available to the school include [IEP or other relevant plan, with date].

Please identify the person responsible for coordinating the plan, the supports that will remain available, the backup arrangements that will be considered, and how we will be consulted and notified about changes. Please explain how the school will assess whether each proposed alternative meets [child’s name]’s individual needs.

If the school proposes a shortened day, a request to remain at home or another restriction on attendance, please provide the written decision and reasons, alternatives considered, the education and supports that will be offered, and a review date. Please identify the appropriate review or escalation process.

I would appreciate a response by [requested date] and a meeting if the plan cannot be settled in writing. I am seeking a lawful, individualized arrangement—not a guarantee about a particular employee or a request to disregard labour obligations.

Thank you,
[name, safe contact information]

Use with: OHRC contingency-planning guidance and ETWO’s continuity planner. Seek independent advice about a disputed restriction or time-sensitive legal issue.

Use with: OHRC strike fact sheet (opens in new tab) · HRLSC contact (opens in new tab) · HRTO contact (opens in new tab) · Strike continuity planner

For a teacher or education worker asking a workplace representative for advice on a staffing, workload or safety concern.

To: Workplace representative / bargaining-unit president  
Subject: Advice requested: support-delivery and staffing concern at [workplace]

Dear [representative],

I am seeking confidential advice about [brief issue]. My role and bargaining unit are [details]. I understand that the appropriate procedure depends on the agreement, employer policy and facts.

On [date], the planned support or staffing was [brief facts]. The support actually available was [brief facts]. The effect I observed on instruction, student access or workplace safety was [specific observation, without speculation]. I notified [role/name] on [date]; the response was [response or no response].

Please advise which reporting, health-and-safety, accommodation or collective-agreement process is appropriate; what further information you need; and whether you can assist with a meeting. Please identify any time limits requiring immediate action.

I have not included student medical records in this first message. Please confirm the authorized secure route for any necessary case information.

Please let me know who will follow up and when.

[name and contact information]

Routing: use the actual local, not a generic province-wide parent list. OSSTF and CUPE-OSBCU publish local-first guidance; ETFO explains its Professional Relations and Services support. This template is not a work-refusal instruction.

Use with: ETFO: What is ETFO’s Professional Relations and Services? (opens in new tab) · OSSTF: who do I contact? (opens in new tab) · CUPE-OSBCU: Contact us (opens in new tab)

For a local executive or members’ meeting to discuss and amend. It is a starting draft, not adopted policy.

Draft for discussion and amendment—not an adopted union policy. The local should obtain its own procedural and legal advice before introducing a resolution.

That [local / bargaining unit] request a meeting with [school board / appropriate board official] on staffing capacity and access to special education;
That the local seek appropriately aggregated information on funded and filled support positions, uncovered absences, support reductions and the board’s process for documenting and reviewing restrictions on student attendance;
That the local advocate for practical, individualized contingency planning developed with affected families and the relevant staff representatives, without waiving workers’ rights or students’ rights;
That the local request a written response and a follow-up meeting date, and report the response to members in a form that protects student and employee privacy;
That any public statement distinguish audited findings, union proposals, government projections and local reports, and identify the year and population behind every number.

Evidence attachments: Auditor General report; current Ministry funding guide; OHRC contingency-planning guidance; applicable union research.

Use with: OHRC strike fact sheet (opens in new tab) · Auditor General, 2026 (opens in new tab) · 2026–27 Special Education Fund guide (opens in new tab) · ETFO, Promises Unfulfilled (opens in new tab) · OECTA, A System Under Strain (opens in new tab)

For a parent council or SEAC member asking the board for an aggregate report on staffing and the supports actually delivered.

To: Board special-education superintendent; parent council or SEAC chair as appropriate  
Subject: Request for a public report on special-education staffing and support continuity

Please advise whether the board can provide an aggregate report addressing funded and filled support positions, unfilled absences, how shortened days and exclusions are recorded, and how families can request a review when the support described in a plan is not delivered.

Please distinguish budget allocations from actual staffing and services. Identify the reporting period, definitions, limitations and the officer responsible for follow-up. We are not asking for student-identifying records.

Please confirm whether this request can be placed on an appropriate meeting agenda, the applicable submission procedure, and when a written response can be expected.

Purpose: a proposed transparency request. SEAC is relevant to overall special-education delivery; it is not a substitute for an individual family’s review or legal route.

Use with: 2026–27 Special Education Fund guide (opens in new tab)

For the day a planned support did not happen. It records the facts and asks the principal for a plan.

To: Principal
Subject: Planned support not in place on [date]: request for a plan

Dear [name],

I am writing to record a gap in a planned support and to ask for a plan.

On [date], the [IEP / safety plan / timetable] for a student in [class or program] called for [planned support, for example EA support during the morning literacy block]. The support available was [what was actually available]. What I observed was [the effect on learning, access or safety. Describe what happened, not causes or diagnoses].

What I did in the meantime was [brief note of the steps you took].

Please let me know:
- how this support will be covered the next time [role] is away;
- whether the student’s IEP or safety plan should be reviewed; and
- how the family will be told, if they have not been already.

I have identified the student only in the way our board allows for internal email. I can share more detail in person or through [the board’s secure system].

Thank you,
[name, role]

Use with: OHRC accessible education policy (opens in new tab) · PPM 140 (opens in new tab)

For when the IEP no longer matches what the student needs, or parts of it are not being delivered as written.

To: Principal; [special education resource teacher or department head]
Subject: Request to review the IEP for a student in [class]

Dear [names],

I am asking for a review of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for a student in [class], identified in the way our board requires.

Since [date], I have observed:
- [factual observation]
- [factual observation]

The parts of the IEP that are not working as written are [accommodations, supports or expectations]. The supports that seem to help are [what has worked].

Please let me know when the IEP can be reviewed, how the family will be invited to take part, and what information you would like me to bring. If community professionals already work with the student, their input may help.

Thank you,
[name, role]

Use with: O. Reg. 181/98 (opens in new tab) · PPM 140 (opens in new tab) · PPM 156 (opens in new tab)

For an EA, ECE or teacher who supports a student with a safety plan and needs a review, training or a plan for staff absences.

To: Principal; [supervisor, if different]
Subject: Request to review a student safety plan and the supports needed to use it

Dear [names],

I support a student in [class or program]. I am asking for a meeting to review the student’s safety plan [or: to ask whether a plan is needed].

Since [date], [brief factual description of what has changed or happened, without diagnoses or labels]. I reported [the incident or incidents] using [the board’s form or process] on [date or dates].

Please let me know:
- when the plan can be reviewed with the staff who use it, and how the family will be involved;
- what training or information I will receive to carry out the plan; and
- what happens when I, or another staff member trained on the plan, am away.

I will keep using the board’s reporting process for any new incident.

Thank you,
[name, role]

Use with: Occupational Health and Safety Act (opens in new tab) · OHRC accessible education policy (opens in new tab)