An Angus mum’s petition calling for new rules on the way disabled children are restrained in schools has received more than 7,000 signatures.
Beth Morrison lodged her petition with the Scottish Parliament and is set to travel to Holyrood next month to present her case to MSPs.
The campaign calls for changes to national guidelines on the use of restraint, saying it has to be a last resort, as well as calling for the recording of every incident leading to restraint or seclusion.
It also aims to set a limit on the time children are put into seclusion and to end restraints that are “humiliating or painful”.
The petition attracted 4,665 signatures online and about 3,000 offline over the past six weeks.
Beth, 49, of Monifieth, said: “The response has been amazing, given that we only had about six weeks to gather signatures.
“It isn’t just about the numbers, though pretty much every disability charity in the country is behind us.
“I’m just a mum but I hope that I can help change the lives of disabled children in Scotland for the better.”
Beth is among a number of parents whose disabled child attended Dundee’s Kingspark School and who had raised concerns about restraint methods there.
In May, an independent inquiry found there was “no cause for concern” for pupil safety but parents claimed at the time their complaints weren’t properly investigated.
Beth added: “There is lots of guidance around about what should happen with regards to restraint but it is not mandatory.
“We are calling on the government to address this policy gap as a matter of urgency.”
A Scottish Parliament spokesman said Beth’s case would go before the petitions committee on March 17.