Response to Nova Scotia Provincial School Code of Conduct
Autism Nova Scotia understands and supports the provincial government’s efforts to enhance safety and respect within our schools. We share the commitment to create environments where both students and educators feel safe, secure and supported.
We are just as steadfast in our commitment to protect Autistic students’ right to learn in classrooms, where their needs are understood and appropriately supported.
Safety and inclusion are not competing goals; they must go hand- in-hand. Ensuring those goals are met requires careful consideration and significant collaboration with marginalized and equity deserving communities.
We are concerned that the recent revisions to the School Code of Conduct emphasizing stricter disciplinary measures across the board have fallen short of meeting that standard.
Inclusion is not only a principle but a practice that must be informed by those most directly impacted. The current version of the Code lacks sufficient emphasis on trauma-informed, restorative, and student-centered approaches—strategies that are essential in supporting neurodivergent and disabled students effectively.
American artist Kenneth Nolan positioned that, “Context is the key – from that comes the understanding of everything.”
In the case of the updated code of conduct, sufficient consideration of context is crucial, particularly when a student’s actions may be an attempt at communication rather than intentional misconduct.
While we understand the intent to address disruptive behaviors, an overreliance on punitive approaches, such as suspensions and exclusions, can disproportionately affect Autistic students, racialized learners, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. These practices risk unintentionally increasing barriers to education and may undermine the principles outlined in Nova Scotia’s Inclusive Education Policy.
We have heard from students and parents who have valuable insight into this issue, and they are frustrated. Students with disabilities and complex learning needs, as well as their parents, were not meaningfully consulted during the revision process. Without this consultation, the policy does not accurately reflect the diverse needs of Nova Scotia’s student population.
“In my experience with special needs children attending HRM schools, they often experience the same treatment as students being willfully and aggressively disruptive and violent. Except, since their actions are usually a communication or regulation issue, these punishments do nothing to help them or to change their behaviour long-term. It just creates a stigma around them and keeps them out of the classroom. It feels very unfair.”
We strongly urge the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to revisit the Code of Conduct through a lens of equity, accessibility, and student well-being, and to align with the recommendations of the Inclusive Education Policy. Autism Nova Scotia remains committed to collaborating with government, educators, and families to ensure all students, especially those who face systemic barriers, are supported to thrive in inclusive, respectful, and safe learning environments.
