About
Mission
We are a grassroots initiative dedicated to ending the harmful practice of collective punishment in BC schools. Our mission is to raise awareness, advocate for policy change, and empower families, educators, and students to create fair and supportive learning environments.
History
This site began as a response to the frustration and harm caused by collective punishment in our own lives. As parents, we’ve experienced firsthand how unfair and ineffective it is—not just for the children directly involved, but for entire classrooms and communities.
What started as one family’s effort to create change has grown into a call to action for all families who believe in a more equitable and compassionate education system. Together, we can ensure schools uphold values of fairness, inclusion, and accountability.
What we believe
- Fairness and Accountability: Discipline should address individual actions, not penalise uninvolved students.
- Inclusion and Understanding: Schools should support children facing barriers, not compound their struggles.
- Evidence-Based Solutions: Restorative practices and individualized approaches lead to better outcomes for everyone.
“I knew it was wrong to humiliate my daughter. I looked it up and collective punishment is not even legal in war! We’re supposed to be teaching our children to be kind and fair. How can they learn that when their teacher is a bully?”
- Parent
Why collective punishment?
Collective punishment is just one part of a broader spectrum of harmful, regressive disciplinary measures. Practices like isolation, physical restraint, and even corporal punishment have no place in modern education. These tactics dehumanise children, often targeting the most vulnerable—those with disabilities, neurodivergent children, and those struggling to conform to rigid expectations. Yet collective punishment is uniquely and undeniably wrong in a way that even young children instinctively understand. It is unethical. It violates fundamental principles of justice. In international law, it’s classified as a war crime.
So why focus on this one issue? Sometimes, pressing against a single, clearly unacceptable practice can create the momentum needed to drive broader change. It’s like choosing to boycott a specific company in a larger campaign against unethical practices. Isolation or restraint impact fewer families, but collective punishment has effected many. By targeting collective punishment, we can push for concrete reforms in policy and procedure that influence the entire education system.
Schools and districts must be held accountable. The School Act and district policies need to explicitly prohibit disciplinary measures that rely on humiliation or coercion. This isn’t just about banning collective punishment; it’s about dismantling the culture that permits such harmful tactics. Those who perpetuate these practices should face real consequences—including losing their positions or criminal consequences in some cases—so that a clear message is sent: our schools are places of dignity and inclusion, not control and dehumanisation.
By fighting against this one form of injustice, we aim to push the dial towards a more compassionate, accountable education system for all children.
Take Action
Our kids deserve better. Add your voice to this campaign.