Ending collective punishment isn’t just about eliminating harmful practices—it’s about creating the conditions where punitive responses are no longer seen as necessary. That means shifting from control to care, from blame to relationship, and from scarcity to investment.
Here are concrete actions districts can take:
1. Fund appropriately
Collective punishment is often a symptom of under-resourced classrooms. When staff are stretched thin and behavioural needs go unsupported, schools may default to blanket discipline. Districts must advocate for and allocate funding to:
- hire sufficient support staff (EAs, counsellors, youth workers)
- ensure continuity in staffing for students who need relational safety
- reduce class sizes
Without this, even well-intentioned teachers will continue to burn out—and students will continue to be harmed.
2. Train appropriately
Trauma-informed practice cannot be reduced to a slideshow. Staff need ongoing, embedded training in:
- neurodiversity-affirming approaches
- restorative justice and relationship-based discipline
- de-escalation and co-regulation
- disability rights, including legal obligations under the School Act and Human Rights Code
Training must be practical, culturally competent, and delivered in collaboration with people who have lived experience—not just theory.
3. Use restorative, not punitive, responses
Restorative justice is not just about holding a circle after harm. It’s a system-wide commitment to relationship, accountability, and repair. It asks:
- what happened?
- who was affected and how?
- what needs to happen to make it right?
When done well, restorative practice shifts power. It allows students to understand their impact without being shamed, and to remain part of the community they may have hurt.
4. Rebuild relationships with families
Too often, school systems treat parents—especially parents of disabled children—as problems to be managed. That must change. Districts need to:
- view parents as experts on their child, not adversaries
- create transparent, collaborative IEP and support processes
- respond to concerns with accountability rather than defensiveness
- offer accessible channels for feedback and resolution
Family-school relationships grounded in trust reduce conflict, improve outcomes, and make reactive discipline less likely.
5. Name the harm. End the practice.
Districts must take an explicit stance against collective punishment. That means:
- banning it in policy
- educating staff on its harms
- tracking its use as an equity issue
- apologising when it happens
Because the harm is real. And predictable. And preventable.
