KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Suspensions and Expulsions

2: Understanding Due Process

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OVERVIEW

This is the 2nd of 4 videos in our short series on Suspensions & Expulsions, featuring Ward 2 Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) trustee, Sabreina Dahab.

This video explains why it’s important for students and families to understand how suspensions and expulsions work, and why these conversations matter—especially for Black, Indigenous, racialized, and disabled students who are often impacted the most.

You’ll learn:

  • Why knowing your rights helps you navigate the school system

  • How suspension and expulsion policies can be applied unfairly

  • What the research says about the long-term effects of being pushed out of school

  • What rights students and families have, including the right to “due process” and “appeals”

  • How to advocate for yourself or your child if you’re facing a suspension or expulsion

You can find the transcription for this video here (including visual descriptions for the video).

Refer to our glossary if you’re having trouble understanding any of the terms in this series.

  • Knowing your rights begins with understanding how school systems work. That means learning about the rules, the decision-making processes, and the options available to students and parents.

    Unfortunately, we also know that these policies have not been applied fairly. Across Ontario—and beyond—Black, Indigenous, racialized, and disabled students are suspended and expelled at disproportionately higher rates. This isn’t about some students being “worse behaved”—it’s about how school discipline policies are often used in racist and ableist ways that punish certain students more harshly than others.

    These decisions impact students’ ability to learn, to feel safe in their schools, and to thrive in their communities. They can also leave students and families feeling powerless—especially when navigating systems with complicated processes and unequal power dynamics.

    This is why it’s so important that families and students know what to expect and understand that they have rights. 

  • The research is clear: students who are suspended or expelled are more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system. There is a direct link between being pushed out of school and being pulled into policing and incarceration.

    Why? Because schools are often one of the few places where youth can have access to:

    • Food and basic needs

    • Peer friendships and social support

    • Trusted adults and mental health services

    • Safe spaces and free services

    When a student is removed from school, they are also cut off from these vital supports.

  • If you or your child are facing a suspension or expulsion and it feels unfair, you are not alone—and your feelings are valid.

    You have the right to:

    • Due process: The school must follow clear procedures before suspending or expelling a student.

    • Appeal: You can challenge a suspension or request a reconsideration of the decision.

    • Information: You have the right to understand why the suspension or expulsion is happening, and what steps are being taken.

    • Support: You have a right to be treated fairly, to feel safe, and to be supported as you go through the process.

    • Accommodations: This includes all forms of translations—which the school board must provide.

    Most importantly, students have a right to education. You belong in school. You deserve safety, respect, and a learning environment that sees your full humanity.

  • Some of the terms used in this video and the next ones might sound cold or legalistic. That’s because they come straight from Ontario’s Education Act and school board policies. We’re sharing this language so you know how the system talks. Knowing the system’s language helps you better challenge it—but that doesn’t mean this language is okay. Only when we familiarize ourselves with this language can we begin to deconstruct it and dream of more liberatory alternatives.