nformal exclusion refers to situations where a student is prevented from meaningfully attending school without a formal suspension or written decision. This can include being repeatedly sent home, placed on shortened days, asked to stay home until certain conditions are met, or otherwise discouraged from attending. Informal exclusion may also occur when school conditions become so unsafe or distressing that families begin keeping their child home in order to avoid harm or allow the child time to recover. Because these situations are often not formally recorded as disciplinary actions, the student may appear absent rather than excluded. This can make the scale of the problem difficult to track and can place responsibility on families rather than the conditions that led to the absence. Informal exclusion can significantly disrupt a child’s access to education and is particularly common among students whose needs are not being adequately supported.