Not on Paper: The Ministry’s Failure to Stop Restraint and Seclusion in BC Schools

In British Columbia, the Ministry of Education says all the right things. It talks about dignity, inclusion, and safety. It reminds us that restraint and seclusion are harmful practices that should only be used in the most exceptional circumstances. But behind this polished language lies a deeper truth. The Ministry’s role ends at suggestions. There is no enforcement, no oversight, and no accountability.

The so-called “Provincial Guidelines for Restraint and Seclusion” are exactly that: guidelines, not binding policy. There is no provincial law prohibiting or limiting the use of restraint and seclusion. There are no enforceable protections. No oversight body. No consequences for violations. The Ministry has chosen not to lead but to delegate responsibility without ensuring any mechanism for follow-through.

Instead of holding schools to account, the Ministry instructs each district to create its own policy. These policies vary widely in quality, clarity, and enforcement. Some are vague and poorly implemented. Others seem written more to reduce liability than to protect students. What is missing across the board is meaningful documentation, follow-up, and public transparency.

Districts are required to have reporting forms for incidents of restraint and seclusion. But in practice, those forms are often not filled out. When they are, they are quietly filed away. They are not reviewed. They are not shared with families. They are not used to improve safety or support. This is not a system of accountability. It is a system of avoidance, dressed up as procedure.

The Ministry’s guidelines include promising language: schools should avoid restraint whenever possible, use positive behavior supports, and involve families in safety planning. But these ideals are not reflected in practice. We know this because lived experience tells a different story.

Children are still being placed in small rooms, now accompanied by an adult and rebranded as “regulation rooms.” Children are still being physically restrained, often under the justification of protecting materials rather than preventing genuine harm. Practices like forced handholding are used to make children comply, and small children are frequently physically moved or repositioned when they do not follow adult direction.

Parents are still being notified only after the fact. In some cases, they are not notified at all.

There is no publicly accessible provincial data.
There is no transparent incident reporting system.
There is no follow-up from the Ministry when a child is hurt.

What we have is a fragmented patchwork of inconsistent local policies, most of which protect the adults, not the children. These policies are rarely trauma-informed and rarely grounded in human rights.

Even the most basic form of oversight is missing. The Ministry does not track whether districts are following their own policies. There is no check, no audit, and no accountability when harm occurs.

And the harm is real.
It is happening now.

It is happening to disabled students.

These are not isolated cases. These are patterns. These children are not anomalies. They are children with rights.

So no, we do not need more Ministry statements, more hopeful language, or more vague encouragements.

We need public reporting.
We need enforceable protections.
We need real accountability.

Because every day the Ministry chooses to suggest rather than act, another child is harmed.

That is not a policy failure.
That is a moral failure.