Math101 · Independent Ontario learning library
Immediate safety first
Call emergency services for immediate danger. In Canada, call or text 988 for suicide crisis support. Young people can contact Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868. Postsecondary students in Ontario can contact Good2Talk at 1-866-925-5454 or text GOOD2TALKON to 686868.
This article is educational and cannot assess risk.
Describe the pattern
Track for one to two weeks if safe:
- day/time and class;
- body symptoms or thoughts;
- attendance, lateness, leaving class, shutdown, or avoidance;
- assignments/people/settings involved;
- sleep, food, medication, travel, bullying, sensory or accessibility factors;
- what helped, even slightly.
Patterns route support better than “school is stressful.”
Name one school lead
Depending on age and system, the lead may be the classroom teacher, guidance counsellor, student-success teacher, special-education lead, social worker, vice-principal, residence/advising team, or accessibility office.
Ask the lead to coordinate:
- attendance and communication;
- missed-work priorities;
- safe space or check-in;
- gradual return or participation plan where appropriate;
- accommodation review;
- bullying/safety response;
- connection to health or community support.
Reduce the next barrier, not the whole future
Examples:
- enter the building and meet one adult;
- attend the least distressing class;
- submit one essential task;
- obtain notes without completing every missed worksheet first;
- practise the route and morning routine;
- arrange a quiet assessment setting already supported by the plan;
- reduce overwhelming backlog into “must do / can replace / can omit” with teachers.
Avoid both extremes: forcing full performance without support, or letting avoidance grow with no reconnection plan.
Academic recovery
Ask each teacher for:
- essential learning expectations;
- highest-priority evidence;
- realistic revised timeline;
- what can be reduced or replaced under policy;
- next prerequisite skill.
The plan should be reviewed frequently at first.
Professional support
Persistent or severe anxiety, depression, physical symptoms, trauma, eating problems, substance use, or functional decline needs assessment by qualified health professionals. Schools support education; they do not replace clinical care.
Should a parent remove every stressful demand?
Safety and clinical advice come first. Outside immediate crisis, total avoidance can make return harder for some students. Work with school and health professionals on a paced, supported plan rather than improvising alone.
