Direct answer
Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19 · Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities · Ontario Education Act — Special Education Requirements (IPRC, IEP) · Verified 2026-07-04
- 1Understand what's happening
- 2Document it
- 3Send the letter
What this means
A "modified day" means your child attends school for less than the full day. It might be an hour, a morning, or a few afternoons. Schools often call it temporary support. Under the Human Rights Code, your child has the right to equal treatment in education. The board must accommodate disability to the point of undue hardship. The Ontario Human Rights Commission describes accommodation as a shared, ongoing process. Ask for the written rationale. Record whether you agree. Get review dates and a real plan back to full-time. Without those, "temporary" can become the whole school year.
What to do next
Ask for the rationale in writing
Why a shortened day, who decided, and is it recorded in the IEP?
Ask for the return plan
Request a dated, step-by-step plan back to a full day, with review dates and the supports needed at each step.
Track the hours
Log the hours your child actually attends each day. Missed instructional time, with dates, is the core record.
Ask what happens meanwhile
Request interim accommodations, missed schoolwork, review dates, and the next step if the school will not give a dated return plan.
Send the modified-day letter
The generated letter below asks for the rationale, the record of your agreement, and the return plan.
I want to understand the shortened day. What is the written rationale, and is it in the IEP? Am I recorded as having agreed to this? What supports would my child need to attend full-time, and what is preventing them from being in place? Can you give me a dated plan to return to a full day, with review dates? Please reply in writing.
What to record
- The hours your child actually attends, every day, with dates
- Who proposed the shortened day, when, and the reason given
- Whether and how you agreed — and any pressure to agree
- The IEP: does it mention the shortened day?
- Each review meeting held (or missed) and what changed after it
If it doesn't resolve
Raise it with the principal in writing first; escalate if there is no written return plan after your request.
See the full escalation ladderWhat not to rely on
- "It's just temporary until we get more support."
- "Temporary" needs a date. Ask when full-time attendance resumes and what has to happen first — in writing.
- "Everyone agrees this is best for your child right now."
- You are allowed to disagree, and to ask what accommodations were considered before cutting hours. The duty to accommodate belongs to the board.
Common questions
Schools sometimes use shortened days as an interim measure. Accommodation under the Human Rights Code is a shared process. Ask whether the school recorded your agreement. Ask for the rationale and the plan back to full-time. If you disagree, say so in writing.
It depends on how it is used. A short-term, reviewed, parent-agreed arrangement with a return plan can be an accommodation. A standing arrangement with no rationale, no review dates, and no return plan functions as lost schooling — which is why the written details matter.
Ask for: the supports to be put in place, the steps from current hours to full attendance, the date each step happens, who is responsible, and the review dates. A plan without dates is not a plan.
Legal authority for this page
| Date | Record | Publisher | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-01-01 | Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19 | e-Laws | Government source |
| 2018-03-01 | Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities | Ontario Human Rights Commission | Government source |
| 2024-01-01 | Ontario Education Act — Special Education Requirements (IPRC, IEP) | Government of Ontario | Government source |
Last updated: 2026-07-04