A recent Alberta Teachers’ Association survey revealed surging aggressive student behaviour. Teachers report resorting to permanent group sanctions—like “silent lunches” or school-wide lockouts—as quick disciplinary fixesmontreal.citynews.ca+10yahoo.com+10reddit.com+10.
Meanwhile, provincial cuts to Educational Assistant (EA) roles—funded through Jordan’s Principle—are worsening the problem. CUPE Alberta has warned that the loss of EAs may force schools to resort even more heavily on collective punishments to manage challenging classrooms alberta.cupe.ca.
These trends illustrate a troubling cycle: under-resourced schools leaning on blanket punitive responses, harming students with additional needs and eroding trust in the education system.
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Collective punishment in Canadian schools
Across Canada, children are still being punished for the actions of others—recesses cancelled, field trips withheld, and classroom privileges revoked based on group behaviour. This practice, known as collective punishment, has no place in an inclusive, rights-based education system.
