Here is a definition of the terminology used on this site.

• documentation asymmetry: Documentation asymmetry describes the imbalance created when schools control most records while families must reconstruct events from memory, emails, and fragments of communication. It matters because incomplete institutional records can shape later decisions, complaints, and credibility assessments. Learn more
• documentation burden: Documentation burden refers to the amount of time, effort, and organisation required from families to gather, produce, and maintain records in order to secure appropriate support for a child. This can include collecting assessments, writing emails, keeping timelines of incidents, attending meetings, completing forms, and repeatedly explaining a child’s needs to different staff members. Families of disabled students often carry a much heavier documentation burden than other families. To ensure that accommodations are implemented or concerns are taken seriously, parents may feel they must keep detailed records of communications, missed supports, behavioural incidents, and school responses. Documentation can become essential for protecting a child’s rights or preparing for appeals and complaints. In many cases, this burden grows not because families choose it, but because systems fail to reliably meet a child’s needs. When supports are inconsistent, decisions are unclear, or incidents are not properly recorded by the school, families may take on the role of documenting what is happening. The result is that access to support can become tied to a family’s ability to sustain extensive record-keeping over time. Recognising the documentation burden highlights the need for systems that reduce unnecessary administrative demands on families. Learn more
• double empathy: The double empathy problem is a concept associated with autistic scholar Damian Milton. It suggests that communication difficulties between autistic and non-autistic people do not arise only from autistic deficit, but from a mutual mismatch in communication style, expectations, and interpretation. In schools, this matters because autistic students are often judged by norms that were not designed around them, while adults may misread distress, directness, withdrawal, or overload as defiance or disrespect. A double empathy lens shifts the focus from “fixing” the autistic student to improving mutual understanding, listening, and adaptation across relationships. This tag is used for content that questions one-sided behavioural interpretations and highlights the relational, cultural, and communicative gaps that can intensify conflict, exclusion, or misunderstanding in educational settings. Learn more
• duty to accommodate: The duty to accommodate is a legal obligation requiring schools, employers, landlords, and other service providers to take reasonable steps to remove barriers related to protected characteristics such as disability. In education, this means schools must meaningfully assess a student’s needs and provide supports, adjustments, or changes that allow the student to access learning on an equal basis with peers. The duty is individualised: schools cannot rely on blanket rules or assumptions about what students need. In British Columbia, accommodation must be provided up to the point of undue hardship. A failure to explore options, implement agreed supports, or respond in good faith may amount to discrimination. This tag is used for content about legal standards, school responsibilities, and disputes about unmet accommodation needs. Learn more
• duty to inquire: The duty to inquire means a school may need to ask reasonable questions and consider possible disability-related needs even when a parent or student has not used perfect legal language. It prevents institutions from ignoring obvious signs of distress, exclusion, or unmet support because documentation is incomplete. Learn more
• dyslexia: Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects how the brain processes written language. It primarily impacts reading accuracy, spelling, decoding words, and sometimes writing. Dyslexia is not related to intelligence—many people with dyslexia have average or above-average cognitive ability—but they may require explicit, structured instruction in reading and language skills. In school settings, dyslexia can make tasks such as reading aloud, spelling, copying text, or completing written assignments much more difficult and time-consuming. With appropriate supports—such as structured literacy instruction, assistive technology, and accommodations—students with dyslexia can learn effectively and demonstrate their knowledge. In practice, accessing support can be challenging. Identification often depends on psychoeducational assessments, which may involve long wait times in public systems. Because schools sometimes prioritise assessment for students who are already failing academically, students who are twice-exceptional (for example, gifted and dyslexic) may struggle for years before receiving help. Their strengths can mask their reading difficulties, leading to delayed recognition and support. Families seeking information and advocacy resources may find support through organisations such as Dyslexia BC, which provides education, resources, and community connections for dyslexic learners and their families. Learn more
• dysregulation: Dysregulation describes a state in which a person’s nervous system is overwhelmed and they have difficulty managing emotions, impulses, attention, behaviour, or physical responses. In school, dysregulation may look like shutdown, flight, panic, refusal, agitation, crying, aggression, or an inability to access language and reasoning in the moment. It is not “bad behaviour.” Dysregulation often reflects an unmet need, sensory overload, fear, accumulated stress, or a poor fit between the student and the environment. This tag is used for content about how schools interpret and respond to distress, especially when behaviour is treated as a discipline issue instead of a signal that support, safety, or accommodation is needed. It also includes discussion of prevention, co-regulation, and the consequences of punitive or escalating responses. Learn more
• EA removed: EA removed refers to situations where an Education Assistant (EA) who was supporting a student is withdrawn or reassigned, often after the student begins to stabilise or show improvement. In many cases, the supports provided by the EA—such as help with regulation, communication, transitions, or access to learning—are the very factors that made the improvement possible.When support is removed too quickly, students may lose the structure or assistance that allowed them to participate successfully in school. This can lead to renewed distress, academic difficulty, or behavioural challenges, which may then be interpreted as a new problem rather than a predictable result of losing support. These decisions are sometimes influenced by a belief that students should receive the minimum support necessary and should become “independent” as quickly as possible. While building independence is an important goal, it is most effective when supports are reduced gradually and when the student has developed the skills and stability needed to maintain progress without experiencing distress. Removing an EA simply because a student appears to be coping can unintentionally remove the conditions that made coping possible. Effective planning focuses on maintaining access and stability while supporting meaningful independence over time. Learn more
• early intervention: Early intervention is a term used to describe providing support to children as soon as developmental differences or learning needs are identified. The idea is that early childhood is a period when the brain is rapidly developing, and timely support can help children build communication, learning, regulation, and social skills. However, the phrase is sometimes used in ways that assume disabled children should be made more “typical” through intensive therapy aimed at changing behaviour or suppressing differences. Many disabled adults and advocates have criticised approaches that prioritise normalisation over a child’s well-being, autonomy, and dignity. In education and disability advocacy, many families and professionals instead emphasise early support and accommodation. This means ensuring that children receive the environments, tools, and understanding they need to thrive—such as communication supports, sensory accommodations, accessible teaching methods, and responsive care. Timely support matters because delays can close important developmental windows. When children’s needs are recognised early and addressed respectfully, they are more likely to develop skills, confidence, and a positive relationship with learning. Learn more
• early pickup: Early pickup occurs when a family is asked or pressured to remove a child from school before the day is over. When repeated or linked to disability, behaviour, staffing, or lack of support, early pickup can function as informal exclusion and should be documented carefully. Learn more
• eating disorder: Learn more
• education access: Learn more
• education advocacy resources: Education advocacy resources are tools, explanations, templates, and records that help families identify school barriers and ask for concrete remedies. The phrase refers to practical support for navigating systems that often require parents to translate harm into evidence and process language. Learn more
• education assistant: An education assistant is a school staff member who supports students who need additional help to participate in learning and daily school activities. EAs often assist students with disabilities or complex learning needs, helping them access instruction, manage transitions, regulate emotions, use assistive technology, or participate safely in the classroom. Education assistants work under the direction of the classroom teacher and school administration. Their role is typically to support the implementation of accommodations, support plans, or individual education plans, and to help create conditions where a student can engage in learning alongside their peers. In many schools, EA support is shared among several students and may be adjusted depending on available resources. This means that support levels can change over time, sometimes affecting a student’s ability to access the environment or curriculum. While EAs can play a crucial role in helping students participate meaningfully in school, they are not a substitute for appropriate teaching strategies, accommodations, or accessible learning environments. Effective support usually combines skilled teaching, inclusive classroom practices, and additional assistance when needed. Learn more
• education complaints: Learn more
• education equity: Education equity means students receive the support, access, and conditions they need to participate meaningfully in school. It differs from sameness because equal treatment can still produce exclusion when students face different barriers. Learn more
• education policy: Education policy refers to a legal, procedural, or accountability concept that can shape how families respond when a child’s needs are not being met at school. On k12complaints.ca, this tag is used for content about documentation, timelines, complaint strategy, decision-making processes, and the formal pathways available when internal problem-solving fails. Depending on the issue, that may include district complaints, human rights processes, Ombudsperson review, access-to-information requests, professional regulation, or questions about evidence and remedies. The tag is not limited to legal theory; it also captures the practical reality of navigating systems that can be slow, technical, and emotionally demanding. Posts using this tag often focus on how procedure affects access to justice, educational access, and the balance of power between families and institutions. Learn more
• educational harm: Educational harm is used for content about the emotional, relational, and embodied effects of educational conflict, exclusion, and chronic institutional stress. On k12complaints.ca, harm is not treated as a side issue separate from policy or legal process. It is understood as part of the evidence of what schools, districts, and systems do to children and families when needs are ignored, support is delayed, or distress is managed through punishment and removal. This tag may appear in posts about fear, grief, burnout, trauma, shame, recovery, or the long tail of educational harm after a crisis has supposedly ended. It also captures how repeated advocacy demands can affect family life, trust in institutions, nervous system regulation, and a child’s sense of safety, dignity, and belonging. Learn more
• educational-assistants: Educational assistants are school staff who often provide direct support with learning, regulation, communication, personal care, safety, and participation. Their role matters because inadequate staffing, unclear direction, or overreliance on one adult can directly affect a student’s access to school. Learn more
• elopement: Learn more