6. Punitive Approaches and Experience of Educational Exclusion

Punitive measures:

Sometimes schools use punitive measures on students who were not able to get to school due to school phobia. 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 phobia disabilities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 phobia and mental health disabilities. Over fifty percent of students experienced shaming language and behavior after missing 16 days of school and more.

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.

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

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.

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

Only 16.76 % of respondents felt that school staff were familiar with and trained in mental health and school phobia. This number increased dramatically when students were not able to attend school due to school phobia. The percentage of parent respondents who did not feel that school staff were trained was between 76.04 % and 97.06%.

• 87% of students have no support
• 79% of students have minimal support
• 34% of students have support to get to school