Legality of Group Punishment
Many parents and students ask: is group punishment legal in schools? In most Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, there is no law explicitly prohibiting it. This tag gathers research, commentary, and legal perspectives on the regulatory silence that allows collective punishment to persist under the guise of classroom discipline. If you’re looking for clear answers about legality, this is the place to start.
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Recent BCHRT decisions expose systemic failures
After reading through a couple of of the recent BC Human Rights Tribunal findings, here are some thoughts: Ongoing delays erode trust Several rulings show how procedural deadlines and scheduling gaps thwart families seeking essential supports. In one decision the Tribunal dismissed parents’ allegations about inadequate consultation and discontinued specialist services because the events in 2017 and 2018 fell…
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Teacher speaks out on exclusion
An experienced teacher alleges that her school punished her for exposing how it pushes vulnerable students out of class. She claims administrators send students with disabilities home early, force them onto reduced schedules, and isolate them without formal suspension or notifying families. She says that when she reported those illegal, unethical practices, administrators investigated her,…
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When school discipline undermines trust at home
There’s a problem in our schools. You’ll see it on a child’s face when they come home. You’ll hear it in the way they describe something that left them feeling humiliated, angry, or confused—and often, all three at once. It happens when school staff use discipline strategies that completely contradict the values a student has…
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From corporal punishment to collective harm: why Section 43 still casts a shadow over Canadian schools
Section 43 still permits “reasonable force” in schools. This blog explores how it enables collective punishment and violates children’s rights.