Caring Safe Schools Ontario

1IntroductionThe Purpose of This Resource DocumentThe Ontario Ministry of Education recognizes that all students requirea caring and safe environment and individualized support in orderto learn, develop their potential, and stay in school. Over the years,the ministry has taken a number of initiatives to assist schools in meeting theserequirements. The present document is intended to serve as a practical resourcefor superintendents, principals, and vice-principals, to help them address issuesof student behaviour both through instruction and interventions tailored toindividual student needs and through ongoing efforts to build and maintain acaring and safe school culture.The document sets out a framework that system and school leaders may use tostrengthen schools’ ability to provide a caring and safe environment, in whichresponses to behaviour issues are shaped by informed consideration of students’needs and circumstances. While the ideas and strategies outlined here are appropriatefor use with all students, the focus of this document is on the particularcircumstances of students with special education needs.More specifically, this resource document is intended to:✦✦assist system and school leaders to promote and support a caring and safeschool culture;✦✦provide information about appropriate strategies and resources to help systemand school leaders address behavioural challenges for students, in particularstudents with special education needs.3