School Support

You have safety concerns at school

Plain-language school guidance, the record to keep, and the next step available to your family.

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.

What to ask — say it or paste it

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

Start your incident log

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 ladder

What 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).

Go deeper

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.

Primary sources

SOURCE

Policy/Program Memorandum 145 — Progressive Discipline and Promoting Positive Student Behaviour

Government SourceTier 1

Ontario Ministry of Education • 2018-12-19

SOURCE

Ontario Regulation 472/07 — Behaviour, Discipline and Safety of Pupils (mitigating and other factors)

Government SourceTier 1

e-Laws • 2008-02-01

SOURCE

Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19

Government SourceTier 1

e-Laws • 1990-01-01

SOURCE

Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities

Government SourceTier 1

Ontario Human Rights Commission • 2018-03-01

Last updated: 2026-07-04

Evidence on this page

The source chain stays visible.

Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.

Facts5

Sources8

Under the Ontario Education Act, every student with special needs is entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and access to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)

Government / peer-reviewedGovernment of Ontario (2024)Verified 2024-01-01

91,974

children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program

Government / peer-reviewedMCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026Verified 2026-08-10

1 in 50

According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, about 1 in 50 children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada had an autism diagnosis

Government / peer-reviewedPublic Health Agency of Canada (2024)Verified 2024-03-26

22.5%

Only 20,711 children have active funding agreements (22.5%), less than one in four

Government / peer-reviewedMCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026Verified 2026-08-10

WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism. Timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement

Government / peer-reviewedWorld Health Organization (2023)Verified 2023-11-15

Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.

View methodology Browse every source

What this means

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.

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

Start your incident log

What 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).

What this means

What to do next

What to record

If it doesn't resolve

What not to rely on

Go deeper

Common questions

Does Ontario law require a "safety plan"?No statute mandates a document called a "safety plan.

What should be in the plan?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.

What if my child was restrained or secluded?Ask for the incident documentation in writing the same day, including who was involved and what happened before, during, and after.

Primary sources

The source chain stays visible.

What this means

What to do next

What to record

If it doesn't resolve

What not to rely on

Go deeper

Common questions

Does Ontario law require a "safety plan"?No statute mandates a document called a "safety plan.

What should be in the plan?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.

What if my child was restrained or secluded?Ask for the incident documentation in writing the same day, including who was involved and what happened before, during, and after.

Primary sources

The source chain stays visible.