Direct answer
Ontario Education Act — Special Education Requirements (IPRC, IEP) · Ontario Regulation 181/98 — Identification and Placement of Exceptional Pupils · Special Report: Special Education Needs · Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19 · Verified 2026-07-04
- 1Understand what's happening
- 2Document it
- 3Send the letter
What this means
If your child's IEP includes educational assistant (EA) support, that support is part of the special education services the board must provide. The sources are the Education Act, s. 170(1) para. 7, and O. Reg. 181/98, s. 6(3)(b). In practice, EA absences often go unfilled. The Auditor General found EAs were absent an average of 18% of school days in 2023/24. At sampled boards, 49% to 72% of those absences went unfilled. Document the gap between the IEP and the classroom: which days, what happened instead, and what it cost your child.
What to do next
Compare paper to practice
Put the IEP's support description next to what actually happens each day. The difference is your record.
Ask for same-day notification
Ask the school to tell you, the same day, whenever your child's scheduled support is not available.
Track missed-support days
Log every day support was reduced or absent, and what happened to your child's day as a result.
Send the EA support letter
The generated letter asks for the delivery plan, the absence protocol, and the school's own record of missed days.
The IEP sets out support for my child. What support is actually scheduled, day by day? What happens when the assigned EA is absent or the position is vacant — who covers, and how is my child supported that day? How will I be told, same-day, when scheduled support is not available? Can you provide the record of days this year when scheduled support was not provided? Please reply in writing.
What to record
- What the IEP says about EA or direct support, word for word
- Each day support was absent or reduced, and what replaced it
- What happened to your child on those days (sent home? incidents? lost learning?)
- The school's answers about coverage and notification, in writing
If it doesn't resolve
Start with the principal; if missed support continues, the superintendent letter cites the board's duty to provide the services in the IEP.
See the full escalation ladderWhat not to rely on
- "The support is in the IEP, so it's handled."
- An IEP describes services; it doesn't staff them. Track delivery, not promises.
- "We can't tell you about staffing."
- Staff privacy is real, but you can still ask: was my child's scheduled support provided today, yes or no? That answer is about your child, not about staff.
Common questions
The Education Act (s. 170(1) para. 7) requires boards to provide special education programs and services for their exceptional pupils, and O. Reg. 181/98 (s. 6(3)(b)) requires the IEP to outline the program and services the pupil is to receive. When outlined support routinely is not delivered, put the gap in writing and ask what the board will do about it.
The Auditor General of Ontario reported in May 2026 that educational assistants were absent an average of 18% of school days in 2023/24, and that between 49% and 72% of those absences went unfilled at the boards sampled. Your day-by-day log turns that system-wide pattern into your child's specific record.
Being sent home because support is unavailable is time out of school, whatever it is called. Record each occurrence and see the exclusion topic — the same "get it in writing" steps apply.
Legal authority for this page
| Date | Record | Publisher | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-01 | Ontario Education Act — Special Education Requirements (IPRC, IEP) | Government of Ontario | Government source |
| 1998-04-01 | Ontario Regulation 181/98 — Identification and Placement of Exceptional Pupils | e-Laws | Government source |
| 2026-05-12 | Special Report: Special Education Needs | Government of Ontario | Government source |
| 1990-01-01 | Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19 | e-Laws | Government source |
Last updated: 2026-07-04