You have safety concerns at school

What to do next

1. 1

   Request a safety-planning meeting

   Ask for a meeting to build or update a written behaviour support and safety plan consistent with the IEP.

2. 2

   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.

3. 3

   Insist on same-day incident reports

   Ask that every incident involving your child be documented and shared with you the same day.

4. 4

   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

If it doesn't resolve

Safety concerns justify fast escalation — if the principal does not act promptly, go to the superintendent in writing.

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).

Last updated: 2026-07-04