Elementary and secondary education
From: The opportunity to succeed: Achieving barrier-free education for students with disabilities
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I. Introduction
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
The main purpose of this report is to examine whether the Ontario Safe Schools Act and Regulations and the school board policies on discipline, known by some as “zero tolerance” policies, are having a disproportionate impact on racial minority students and students with disabilities. Since September 2001, when the Act came into effect, school boards around the province have been drafting and implementing policies and procedures to comply with the Act.
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II. Background
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
In Ontario, the first serious steps towards taking a zero tolerance approach to discipline matters in schools began in the mid-1990s. In late 1993, the Scarborough Board of Education adopted a Safe Schools Policy on Violence and Weapons, which appears to have been the first official zero tolerance policy in the province.
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IV. School Boards: The Toronto District School Board
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
School boards in Ontario are under a legal obligation to adopt and revise policies, guidelines and procedures in accordance with the Safe Schools Act and Regulations and the Ontario Schools Code of Conduct.[69] The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), for example, has adopted or revised, among other things, a Code of Conduct and an Appropriate Dress Policy,
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VI. Disproportionate impact in other jurisdictions
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
A. United States
The Harvard Civil Rights Project Report
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VII. Disproportionate impact in Ontario
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
School boards in Ontario do not collect statistics on the race of the students who are suspended and expelled and there are no plans to do so.
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VIII. Discrimination
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
Nearly all the interviewees identified discrimination – direct and systemic – as the main reason why the application of discipline in schools has a disproportionate impact on racial minority students and students with disabilities. Some interviewees also pointed out that there are multiple and intersecting grounds of discrimination, including race, disability, poverty and immigrant/refugee status.
A. General Perceptions
1. Black Students
Many Black students who are suspended or expelled believe that it is because of discrimination:
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IX. Broader Impact
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
Many interviewees believe that the increased suspension and expulsion of students are having a broad, negative impact on the student, his or her family, the community and society-at-large. The most commonly identified elements are negative psychological impact, loss of education, higher drop-out rates and increased criminalization and anti-social behaviour.
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X. Interviewees’ recommendations
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
The interviewees made a number of recommendations about how to improve the current framework established by the Safe Schools Act or alternatives which would reduce or eliminate the (perceived) disproportionate impact on racial minority students and students with disabilities. The main recommendations, with some further explanation where necessary, are:
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XI. Conclusion
From: The Ontario Safe Schools Act: School discipline and discrimination
September 1, 2003 will mark the second anniversary of the enactment of the Safe Schools Act in Ontario. Over the past twenty-two months, school boards have been amending and adopting policies and procedures governing the application of discipline in schools, the number of suspensions and expulsions has increased, and there has been growing concern over the human rights implications of the new regime.