End Collective Punishment in BC Schools

10/05/2026

Families keep being asked to prove that their children fit the system’s categories. What happens when those categories start deciding which needs schools will meet? Content warning: Ableism, functioning labels, school-related harm. Families can find themselves trying to prove that their child is d...

10/05/2026

09/21/2026

There is a lot of discussion right now about B.C.’s new inclusive education funding checklists.

Some of that discussion is useful. The forms have changed. Some requirements that were previously buried in the Ministry manual are now printed directly on the checklists. That may change how consistently districts document what they are doing.

But families need to be very careful about the frame.

There is a lot of discussion right now about B.C.’s new inclusive education funding checklists. Some of that discussion is useful. The forms have changed. Some requirements that were previously buried in the Ministry manual are now printed directly on the checklists. That may change how consistent...

08/25/2026

Children will soon be going back to school… well, some children.

Stores are already filled with lunch kits, backpacks, and brightly coloured displays of school supplies. Parents are checking whether indoor shoes still fit. Social media will soon fill with first-day photographs: children standing beside front doors, holding signs with their grade and what they want to be when they grow up.

My child is at home in bed.

Children will soon be going back to school… well, some children. Stores are already filled with lunch kits, backpacks, and brightly coloured displays of school supplies. Parents are checking whether indoor shoes still fit. Social media will soon fill with first-day photographs: children standing b...

08/05/2026

You would think I would run out of things to say about collective punishment, but the longer I write, the more resonate the topic becomes.

Here's a new blog about how collective punishment and scapegoating allow institutions to obtain compliance, contain demand, and ration scarce resources while shifting the human and political costs onto disabled children and their families:

How collective punishment turns scarcity into compliance The confusing thing about school harm is that it rarely arrives without care. While your child is being excluded, an Educational Assistant is finally assigned. A kind case manager begins sending thoughtful emails. Someone finds a program space...

07/15/2026

Nobody talks about the harm caused when schools wait for a student to fail before offering meaningful support.

Too often, support is treated like something students have to qualify for through struggle.

➡️ They have to fail the test.
➡️ Miss the assignments.
➡️ Fall behind.
➡️ Shut down.
➡️ Melt down.
➡️ Refuse school.
➡️ Lose confidence.
➡️ Or reach a crisis point before their needs are taken seriously.

But waiting for failure is not early intervention.

It is delayed access.

And by the time adults finally say, “Now we see it,” the student may have already internalized the message that they are lazy, incapable, difficult, too much, or not trying hard enough.

Meaningful support should not require academic harm, emotional distress, disciplinary referrals, or mental health decline first.

➡️ A student can need support before they are failing.

➡️ A student can need support while they are passing.

➡️ While they are quiet.

➡️ While they are masking.

➡️While they are completing work.

➡️ While they are “holding it together” at school and falling apart at home.

We have to stop using failure as the proof that access is necessary.

Support should be proactive, responsive, and rooted in what the learner needs to learn with dignity, not withheld until the damage is undeniable.

07/13/2026

The reason column on an absence report in my son’s permanent record is mostly blank. When a reason survives, it’s ParentGuardianExcuse. There's really no excuse for what happened.

The reason column in my son's permanent record is mostly blank. When a reason survives, it's ParentGuardianExcuse.

06/26/2026

📣 Dyslexia BC needs your help! 📣

We want to hear "your BC Dyslexia Story." ❤️

Families, students, and individuals across British Columbia have valuable experiences to share... and "every story matters."

Dyslexia BC is gathering stories to help create a current report that highlights the collective experiences, challenges, and barriers faced by people with dyslexia and other learning disabilities in BC.

Your voice can help bring awareness, create understanding, and support positive change. ✨

📖 Share your story today:
https://forms.gle/6tXWtYoPd9gSGswj7

*(You can save your responses and go back to edit your answers.)*

Thank you for helping make sure BC families are heard. 💙

06/26/2026

Unpreferred tasks do not belong on IEPs.

Completing unpreferred tasks is not a learning goal, it’s a compliance expectation. Many IEP goals unintentionally focus on endurance, obedience, or suppression instead of learning.

Rewrite IEP goals so they support learning - not compliance. Tune into a new episode of The Inclusion Podcast (and don’t forget to download the freebie!) https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/completing-unpreferred-tasks-should-not-be-an-iep-goal/

06/26/2026

As another school year comes to a close, let us all collectively exhale. Across communities, families celebrate report cards, concerts, grad...