BCEdAccess recently posted about the importance of speaking up about systemic issues in BC’s education system—especially when children with disabilities are being excluded or harmed.
It documents the failure to accommodate neurodivergent students, the harm of collective punishment, the silencing of student voice, the lack of educator training, and the emotional and mental health toll on families. Drawing from research, lived experience, and professional insight, this letter is a searing indictment—and a call to act.
By sharing lived experiences directly with the Ministry of Education and Child Care—and cc’ing the Human Rights Commissioner—parents can make visible the everyday discrimination their children face. The post includes a powerful advocacy letter written by a parent determined to make their experience count, and encourages others to do the same. Read the BCEdAccess post →
Take action on collective punishment
if collective punishment has been one of the most humiliating and harmful aspects of your child’s experience, maybe you should let the people in charge know?
To: Premier David Eby
premier@gov.bc.ca
Minister of Education and Child Care, Hon. Lisa Beare
ecc.minister@gov.bc.ca
CC:
info@bchumanrights.ca
Subject: The unbearable story of my child experiencing collective punishment
Dear Premier Eby and Minister Beare,
I am writing in support of the parent-led campaign to end collective punishment in BC schools.
As highlighted on https://endcollectivepunishmentbc.com, children with disabilities in this province are being excluded, humiliated, and denied access to education—often through punitive practices disguised as “classroom management.”
These practices include cancelling field trips, removing access to preferred activities, isolating students from their peers, and enforcing silence or shame as group discipline. They are not only unethical and educationally unsound—they are a form of collective punishment, prohibited under international law.
Your government has a legal and moral obligation to ensure that students with disabilities are accommodated—not punished for behaviours linked to unmet needs. The stories shared on the website reflect widespread systemic failure: disappearing support staff, informal exclusions, and appeals adjudicated by financial officers instead of educators. These are not isolated incidents. They are a pattern.
I urge you to act now:
- Reinstate and expand funding for educational assistants and learning supports
- Enforce the duty to accommodate under the Human Rights Code
- Prohibit collective punishment in school district policy and practice
- Invest in trauma-informed, inclusive education—not control-based behaviour management
The public is paying attention. In just one month, the campaign site received over 6,000 views and more than 800 deeply engaged readers. These are British Columbians seeking transparency, safety, and a future where all children belong.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your city or school district]
[Optional: your story or experience]
