Official data on school exclusions often fails to capture the full reality for ākonga (students) with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Te Iho Tātai-ā-Rongo).

Many families experience ‘informal’ removals—where a school ‘suggests’ that a child stay home, or Restricted Attendance, where a child is only allowed to attend for a few hours a day or on certain days of the week.

This breaches their human, disability, and education rights.

Now FASD-CAN has created a way of keeping track of these events and maintaining them in a database: the KEA (Kiwi Education and Attendance) Tracker.

Why we are collecting this data

When these events aren't formalised, they don't appear in government reports. This creates a misleading picture of the ‘success’ of the education system and allows the specific needs of the FASD community to be overlooked. To advocate effectively, we need a robust, real-time database that reflects the actual frequency of these events, including the breach of rights and the ‘hidden’ loss of education through restricted hours.

The first time you fill out a  KEA Tracker Form you will be asked to follow a specific format to establish a unique identification code for your child.  If you have more than one child that is experiencing 'KSSEE' events (see below for definition), please note that each child will have their own unique code. This is required for data integrity when analysing the information, and for subsequent entries by you into the Tracker.

What do we mean by KSSEE & Restricted Attendance (RA)?

We are tracking seven specific types of events. Understanding these definitions helps us build accurate data:

• ‘Kiwi’ Stand-down: Informal/voluntary suggestion to keep a child home (no formal process).

• ‘Kiwi’ Exclusion/Expulsion: Technically voluntary – but it has been made clear that your child will be formally excluded or expelled if you do not voluntarily withdraw them.

• Stand-down: Formal, temporary removal by the Principal for a specific period, and then often unachievable requirements set before the student can go back to school.
  
  
• Suspension: Formal disciplinary process requiring a Board of Trustees meeting.
  
  
• Exclusion: Formal removal of a student under 16 (requires enrolment elsewhere).
  
  
• Expulsion: Permanent removal of a student aged 16 or older.
• Restricted Attendance: When the school requires or asks you to limit the number of hours or days your child attends, or frequently calls you to pick them up during the day due to 'behavioural' or 'support' issues. This is often suggested to you as being in the best interests of the tamaiti/child.

⚠️ Important notes re data collection

We are building a ‘real-time’ database to show what is happening now.

• No Retrospective Data Please: do not complete this form for events that happened in the past. We are only wanting to catch data from the launch date of this initiative (6 May 2026).
  
  
• Two-Week Window: Please try and submit your entry within 14 days of the event occurring so we can keep the data accurate and up-to-date. The two-week window allows time for formal processes (such as Board of Trustee suspension meetings) to be concluded, ensuring we capture the final outcome of the event.
  
  
• One form per KEA event: Every instance matters. If your tamaiti / child experiences multiple separate incidents (e.g., two separate weeks of restricted hours or a standdown), please complete a new form for each one. It is only by capturing this information that a true picture of our experiences will be captured.
  
  
• Safe and Anonymous: Completing the form will collect anonymous data.  However, so we can distinguish between the events happening to one single child as opposed to being caught in the collective data, you will develop your own unique identification code for each individual tamaiti / child.
  
  
• Who can Complete the Form: It can be completed by a caregiver or by a professional (such as a teacher, teacher aide, RTLB, LSC, social worker or other professional) on behalf of a family or whānau.

The time you take (approximately 10 minutes per entry) provides the evidence we need to fight for better outcomes for our tamariki/children and rangatahi/youth.

Ready to go?

Click here to go to the KEA Tracker form. 

Questions?

If you need assistance with this form or have any questions, please contact [email protected] or your local FASD-CAN FASD Kaiwhakatere / Navigator.