---
title: "Punitive Approaches and Experience of Educational Exclusion | School Attendance Challenges"
description: "Sometimes schools use punitive measures on students who were not able to get to school due to school attendance challenges."
url: https://ymhc.ngo/resources/school-attendance-challenges/survey/punitive-approaches/
---

National Survey· 8 of 11

# Punitive Approaches and Experience of Educational Exclusion

![Blurred silhouette of a person pressing their hands against frosted glass](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Exclusion-scaled-600x450.BaZ2i6Xe_9hrxn.webp)

Photo Credit: @stefanopollio

## Punitive Measures Experienced by Children in School

**Punitive measures:**

Sometimes schools use punitive measures on students who were not able to get to school due to school attendance challenges. Punitive approaches worsened the student’s feelings of anxiety and fear, increasing missed school days. Instead of receiving support, children who missed school were often met with more pressure. From the expectation of catching up on missed work, being criticized for not attending school, to being accused of fabricating illness or even singled out and shamed, these were the experiences of many students with school attendance challenges disabilities.

![Grouped bar chart of punitive measures, yes versus no: expected to catch up on missed work 386 vs 127; criticized by school staff 301 vs 212; accused of fabricating or inducing illness 256 vs 257; singled out or shamed 218 vs 295; parents made to force child into school 202 vs 311; parents talked to about Education Act obligations 109 vs 404; referred to social services 101 vs 412; reported to Children’s Aid Services 45 vs 468](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Punitive-Measures-1080x518.Bhuyrsb6_4z3vp.webp)

-   386 (of 519) students were expected to catch up
-   301 students were criticized
-   256 students were accused of fabricating or inducing illness
-   218 students were singled out or shamed
-   202 (of 519) parents were forced to bring their children to school
-   109 parents were talked to about their obligations
-   101 parents were referred to Social Services
-   45 parents were reported to Children’s Aid Services for “educational neglect”

## School Exclusion Experiences:

**Exclusion in Education:**

We asked participating parents about how inclusive the schools have been for the children. The response was that school exclusions are still common, and that inclusive environments are far easier to talk about than achieve.

**Significant findings:**

-   65% of respondent parents believe school staff lack training in accommodating children with school attendance challenges and chronic absenteeism.
-   55% of respondent parents believe their children were bullied at school.
-   21% of respondent children received support from school to help them to attend school.

![Grouped bar chart of school exclusion experiences, yes versus no: parent called to pick child up 190 vs 324; suspended for disability-related reasons 91 vs 423; negative attitudes about disabilities 211 vs 303; staff lack training in accommodating children 336 vs 178; bullied by students or staff 281 vs 233; school lacks accessible and inclusive education 213 vs 301; school lacks human rights compliance 139 vs 375](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/School-Exclusion-1080x598.DPQ_3NrC_Z1OiBq.webp)

**Findings:**

-   190 (of 519) parents received calls from school to pick up student
-   91 (of 519) students were suspended from school for disability-related reasons
-   211 students received comments that reflected negative attitudes about disabilities
-   336 (of 519) schools have staff that lack training in accommodating students with disabilities
-   281 (of 519) students were bullied by students and/or school staff
-   213 schools lack provision for accessible and inclusive education
-   139 schools lack compliance on human rights and accessible and inclusive education

## More Findings:

### Was your child expected to catch up on schoolwork missed due to school attendance challenges?

![Donut and stacked bar charts: child expected to catch up on missed work; 386 yes (75.24%), 127 no (24.76%). Above 70% at every level of absence except children who missed no days](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/catch-up-1080x366.ohXY_-ef_2ddw3v.webp)

Most students (from 519 families) were expected to catch up on work they missed during their disability-related school absence. The number of students who were expected to catch up did not change according to the length of time they were absent: it was consistently over 70 percent.

### Was your child criticized for not attending school by school staff?

![Donut and stacked bar charts: child criticized by school staff for not attending; 301 yes (58.67%), 212 no (41.33%). Around 66 to 69% among children who missed 16 or more days](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Criticized-for-not-attend-1080x321.CuRn-PTY_KBGcl.webp)

Three hundred and one students were criticized for not attending school by school staff. Criticisms increased with the length of time students were absent from school.

### Was your child accused of fabricating or inducing illness?

![Donut and stacked bar charts: child accused of fabricating or inducing illness; 256 yes (49.9%), 257 no (50.1%). Above 50% among children who missed 11 or more days](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/fabricate-1080x349.CtReDVNn_Z206ePb.webp)

Two hundred and fifty-six students were accused of fabricating or inducing illness. This number (of school staff who accused students of fabricating or inducing illness to be absent from school) increased with the length of time a student was absent from school.

### Student was singled out or shamed in front of class for not attending school.

![Donut and stacked bar charts: child singled out or shamed in front of the class for not attending; 218 yes (42.5%), 295 no (57.5%). Above 50% among children who missed 11 or more days](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/singled-out-1080x346.BpVCNL_Z_ZKu7hL.webp)

Two hundred and eighteen (of 519) students were singled out or shamed in front of the class for not attending school. That number increased with the length of time a student was unable to attend school due to school attendance challenges and mental health disabilities. Over fifty percent of students experienced shaming language and behavior after missing 16 days of school and more.

### Student was bullied by students or school staff / Lack of needs-based educational accommodations

![Two donut charts: 281 children (54.67%) were bullied by students or school staff, 233 (45.33%) were not; 213 schools (41.44%) lack provision for an accessible and inclusive education, 301 (58.56%) do not](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/bully-inclusive-1080x316.Cy2DaTqv_Z2o21pM.webp)

Two hundred and eighty-one (of 519) students were bullied by other students or by school staff.

Forty-one percent of families felt that their child’s school lacked provision for an accessible and inclusive education.

### Has your child been suspended from school for disability-related reasons?

![Two donut charts: 190 parents (36.96%) received calls from school to pick their child up, 324 (63.04%) did not; 91 children (17.7%) were suspended for disability-related reasons, 423 (82.3%) were not](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Suspended-1080x316.DTLhej4k_Z2i2CUA.webp)

Almost eighteen percent of students were suspended because of their school attendance challenges and chronic absenteeism.

### Negative attitudes about disabilities / School lacks training in accommodating students with disabilities

![Two donut charts: 211 children (41.05%) received negative attitudes about disabilities, 303 (58.95%) did not; 336 schools (65.37%) have staff who lack training in accommodating children with needs, 178 (34.63%) do not](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/disability-attitude-and-accomodation-1080x309.3nob2NU6_Z1K8Qd9.webp)

Two hundred and eleven students experienced negative attitudes about their mental health disabilities. Sixty-five percent of family respondents felt that their child’s school lacks training in accommodating children with special or exceptional needs, including mental health disabilities.

### Lack of compliance with human rights obligations for students with mental health disabilities

![Donut chart: school lacks compliance with human rights guidelines on inclusive education for students with disabilities; 139 yes (27.04%), 375 no (72.96%)](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Human-Right-1080x376.BiVnTX0a_ZfiWXl.webp)

Twenty-seven percent of respondents felt that their child’s school lacked compliance with human rights guidelines on inclusive education for students with disabilities.

### Lack of Mental Health and School Attendance Challenges Training

![Donut and stacked bar charts: school staff familiar with and trained in mental health and school attendance challenges; 86 yes (16.76%), 427 no (83.24%). The share answering no ranges from 76.47% to 97.06% across levels of absence](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Staff-familiar-1080x344.EANcumLr_ZzR0N.webp)

Only 16.76 % of respondents felt that school staff were familiar with and trained in mental health and school attendance challenges. This number increased dramatically when students were not able to attend school due to school attendance challenges. The percentage of parent respondents who did not feel that school staff were trained was between 76.47 % and 97.06%.

### Lack of Mental Health Support

![Donut chart: level of support children with school attendance challenges get from school; minimal supports 294 (45.79%), no supports 211 (32.87%), supports to get to school 137 (21.34%)](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Support-level-1080x392.BftlB2ZV_1EqaGm.webp)

-   33% of students have no support
-   46% of students have minimal support
-   21% of students have support to get to school