Creating safe and accepting schools

Learn about creating safe, inclusive and accepting school environments where everyone — children, students, staff, parents and the community — feels welcome, safe and respected.

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A positive school climate is essential

A positive school climate and a safe learning and teaching environment are essential for students to succeed in school. This means that everyone feels they are safe, welcome and respected.

All students, parents or guardians, teachers, staff and community members have the right to be safe and feel safe, in their school community. With this right comes the responsibility for everyone to be accountable for their actions and contribute to a positive school climate.

Our approach to making schools safe and accepting focuses on:

• promoting positive student behaviour
• providing early and ongoing intervention
• preventing inappropriate behaviour
• addressing inappropriate behaviour with appropriate consequences

Help stop bullying

Learn what to watch for, what you can do and where you can go to get help if your child is being bullied. Use the guide to help recognize and stop bullying.

Code of conduct

Understand the Ontario code of conduct for the education sector and learn about the rules for personal mobile devices in the classroom.

Parents' guide to the code of conduct

Learn about Ontario's code of conduct which sets the standards of behaviour that school boards must follow.

Cellphones and personal devices in schools

Discipline, suspensions and expulsions

Understand the rules for these disciplinary actions.

Progressive discipline

Understanding suspensions and expulsions

Find out what can result in suspension or expulsion and what happens if your child is suspended or expelled. Learn what support is available for students.

Report incidents

Learn about reporting incidents that happen at school and how to support positive student behaviour.

Report an incident at school

Occasional teachers: report an incident

As an occasional teacher you must report incidents that happen at school. Find out how to report student incidents and what type of incidents you must report.

Report an incident on school transportation

Resources for schools and school boards

We put rules in place and provide resources for school boards so that students, staff, parents and community members feel safe and accepted at school.

Boards can also find resources and tools to help guide them as they follow these policies.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for child care and for administering the system of publicly funded elementary and secondary school education in Ontario.

Questions or comments

There are many ways to contact the Government of Ontario.