Direct answer
Policy/Program Memorandum 145 — Progressive Discipline and Promoting Positive Student Behaviour · Ontario Regulation 472/07 — Behaviour, Discipline and Safety of Pupils (mitigating and other factors) · Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19 · Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities · Verified 2026-07-04
- 1Understand what's happening
- 2Document it
- 3Send the letter
What this means
Safety concerns can mean two things. Your child may be getting hurt, eloping, or being restrained. Or the school may say your child's behaviour is unsafe. Either way, ask for a written plan. Interventions for students with special education needs must match the IEP (PPM 145). Before discipline, the school must consider if behaviour was linked to disability. It must also consider whether accommodation was provided (O. Reg. 472/07). Request a safety-planning meeting. Get the plan in writing. Ask for same-day notice of every incident.
What to do next
Request a safety-planning meeting
Ask for a meeting to build or update a written behaviour support and safety plan consistent with the IEP.
Ask what happens step-by-step
The plan should say exactly what staff do in an incident — proactive supports, de-escalation, who is called, and when you are contacted.
Insist on same-day incident reports
Ask that every incident involving your child be documented and shared with you the same day.
If there is immediate danger
Get urgent medical or emergency help first. Then ask the school for the incident record, injury details, and the safety change before return.
Log every incident yourself
Record injuries, elopements, restraints, and what your child tells you — dated, while it is fresh.
I am asking for a written behaviour support and safety plan for my child, consistent with the IEP. What proactive supports and de-escalation strategies will staff use? Exactly what happens, step by step, if an incident occurs — and when am I contacted? How are incidents documented, and will I receive the documentation the same day? When will we review the plan? Please reply in writing.
What to record
- Every incident: date, time, what happened, who was involved, injuries
- Every restraint or seclusion your child reports or the school discloses
- Elopement incidents and how the school responded
- What the written safety plan says — and what actually happened in each incident
- Same-day reports you did or did not receive
If it doesn't resolve
Safety concerns justify fast escalation — if the principal does not act promptly, go to the superintendent in writing.
See the full escalation ladderWhat not to rely on
- "We handled it, everything is fine now."
- Ask for the incident report in writing. "Handled" without documentation cannot be reviewed or prevented.
- "A safety plan means your child is the problem."
- A good plan is mostly proactive supports and de-escalation — it protects your child, and interventions must be consistent with the IEP (PPM 145).
Common questions
No statute mandates a document called a "safety plan." The sources say interventions, supports, and consequences for students with special education needs must match the IEP (PPM 145). The board must also accommodate disability to the point of undue hardship under the Human Rights Code. Undue hardship is a high legal limit. A written safety plan is a practical way to put those duties into action. You can request one in writing.
Proactive supports and environmental changes; de-escalation strategies consistent with the IEP; the exact steps staff follow in an incident, including when parents are contacted; how incidents are documented and shared; and a review date.
Ask for the incident documentation in writing the same day, including who was involved and what happened before, during, and after. See the restraint and seclusion guide below for the fuller picture, and consider legal advice for repeated incidents.
Legal authority for this page
| Date | Record | Publisher | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-12-19 | Policy/Program Memorandum 145 — Progressive Discipline and Promoting Positive Student Behaviour | Ontario Ministry of Education | Government source |
| 2008-02-01 | Ontario Regulation 472/07 — Behaviour, Discipline and Safety of Pupils (mitigating and other factors) | e-Laws | Government source |
| 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 |
Last updated: 2026-07-04