Student Rights

Have you ever wondered what your rights are as a student? Read purposes of education, and know where to access this information 
  • British-Columbia

    Link to British-Columbia's updated Education Rights


    The BC School Act is a provincial statue governing primary education and secondary education in B.C. The Act outlines important roles, rights and responsibilities for parents, students and the education system.

  • Saskatchewan

    Link to Saskatchewan's updated Education Rights


    The Ministry of Education is committed to the success and well-being of all Saskatchewan learners and the enhancement of literacy for all Saskatchewan people. The Ministry of Education provides leadership and direction to many sectors including: early learning and child care; Kindergarten through Grade 12 education; literacy; and the provincial network of libraries. 

  • Manitoba

    Link to Manitoba's updated Education Rights


    The Minister of Education is a cabinet minister in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The department's primary responsibility is oversight of Manitoba's public school system. The Department of Education is one of Manitoba's oldest government departments, although its specific designation has changed several times.

  • Ontario

    Link to Ontario's updated Education Rights


    Ontario's Education Act says that any pupil who lives in Ontario has a right to go to school. They have this right even if their parents are not Canadian or do not have legal status in Canada. There are only very specific times when a school board can tell you that you cannot come to school.

  • Quebec

    Link to Quebec's updated Education Rights


    In 1988 the Quebec National Assembly passed a new Education Act ("Bill 107"). That Act comprises a fundamental reform of the organization of school boards in the province.

  • New Brunswick

    Link to New Brunswick's updated Education Rights


    The Province's Education Act distributes authorities and responsibilities between the provincial government, as represented by the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and District Education Councils (DECs), which are elected at the local level every four years.

  • Nova Scotia

    Link to Nova Scotia's updated Education Rights


    Public schools in Nova Scotia are governed by the provincial Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD). The role of the Department is to: ensure children in their early years have the support they need for a positive start to school. EECD uses the Education Reform Act (effective April 1, 2018) to govern the administration of the all English language public schools in Nova Scotia. There are sections in the Education Reform Act for Mi'kmaq Education and African-Canadian Education.

  • PEI

    Link to Prince Edward Island's updated Education Rights


    Prince Edward Island's newest Education Act, released in 2016, is a modern piece of legislation designed to support these changes, and provide a framework for improving student learning by setting out roles and responsibilities for students, parents, community members, educators and government.

  • Newfoundland and Labroador

    Link to Newfoundland and Labroador's updated Education Rights


    The Province's Education Act distributes authorities and responsibilities between the provincial government, as represented by the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development and District Education Councils (DECs), which are elected at the local level every four years.

  • Yukon

    Link to Yukon's updated Education Rights


    For the past four years the people of the Yukon Territory in the Northwest of Canada have been involved in a number of activities designed to bring about a reform of their education system. The culmination of these activities is to he a new education law plannedfor enactment in 1990. This

    article provides an analysis of the Yukon' s proposed new Education Act, refers to some of the recent education reform movéments elsewhere, and then outlines some of the major elements of the Yukon' s draft law including student and parental rights and responsibilities, a three-tiered system of local school governance, the roles of teachers and principals, a "made in the Yukon" curriculum, a comprehensive appeals procedure, and arrangements for the increased participation of the Yukon' s First Nation peoples. 

  • Nunavut

    Link to Nunavut's updated Education Rights


    The 2008 Nunavut Education Act endeavours to call Nunavut's public education system to account for linguistic, cultural, and local relevance to the majority Inuit population. Development of the Act involved lengthy scrutiny of existing and proposed education legislation to ensure consistency and compatibility

  • Northwest Territories

    Link to Northwest Territories's updated Education Rights


    The NWT Education Act ensures the delivery of culture-based school programs as part of the regular education program, as well as the provision of Aboriginal language learning opportunities. Rather than teaching aspects of Aboriginal culture, the NWT seeks to ground all teaching and learning in culture and place.

Children in Canada are entitled to an education that does not only include the right to attend school, but to obtain their education in a manner that allows them to reach their full potential. The rights in Canadian public schools or publicly funded Canadian schools and private schools are different and often vary, but all students in Canada have rights to education. Understanding these rights is vital for both students and parents so that they can advocate or demand for the school's necessary and needed education.

Throughout Canada, provincial / territorial education acts include the right to education. These acts generally allows children from 5/6 to 18/21 years of age to have access to public education. As well as, the Human Rights Act grants equal access to education and protection against discrimination.
Watch this informative video by Canadian Immigration and Citizenship to understand the essentials regarding the Education System in Canada
For reference, here are the Student-specific laws, in accordance with the  BC School Act:
Access to educational program 

Subject to section 74.1, a person is entitled to enroll in an educational program provided by the board of a school district if the person

(a)is of school age, and

(b)is resident in that school district.

(c)the board providing the educational program determines that space and facilities are available for the person at the school in which the educational program is made available.

In regards to consulting about your education program

A student is entitled to consult with a teacher, principal, vice principal or director of instruction with regard to that student's educational program.

Duties of a student

(1)A student must comply

(a)with the school rules authorized by the principal of the school or Provincial school attended by the student, and

(b)with the code of conduct and other rules and policies of the board or the Provincial school.

(2)A student attending a school or a Provincial school must participate in an educational program as directed by the board or by the principal of the Provincial school.

Home Learning

A parent of a child who is required to enroll in an educational program under section 3

(a)may educate the child at home or elsewhere in accordance with this Division, and

(b)must provide that child with an educational program.

Enrolment — distributed learning

 (1)A student who is enrolled in an educational program provided by a board or a francophone student who is enrolled in a francophone educational program provided by a francophone education authority may enroll in one or more

(a)educational programs offered by another board or by an authority under the Independent School Act, or

(b)francophone educational programs offered by another francophone education authority

if at least one of the educational programs or francophone educational programs, as applicable, is delivered, in whole or in part, through distributed learning.

(2)Despite subsection (1), a student does not acquire a right under this section to enroll with a francophone education authority if the student is not otherwise entitled or permitted under this Act to enroll with a francophone education authority.

...students with disabilities are entitled to receive the accommodation measures they need to access and benefit from the service of public education. (2012)

- SCC, Supreme Court of Canada, on Students with Disabilities
For all additional laws and bylaws in regards to students in BC, please refer to this page in The BC School Act.


*The BC School Act is a provincial statue governing primary education and secondary education in B.C. The Act outlines important roles, rights and responsibilities for parents, students and the education system.
Footnotes:

School Act. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96412_02#part2

Last Modified: 1/27/2020
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