Confusion deepens on Ontario's new student absence policy after education minister says principals will get final say

But with the start of the fall classes already underway in some boards, and starting in most next week, confusion remains about how the policy will work — and be enforced — on the ground, and what will be allowed on a school-by-school basis. 

Toronto’s Leaside High School has already sent out a memo to parents, saying allowable absences include “illness or other unavoidable circumstances, such as inclement weather or approved absences such as cultural days and holy days” meaning marks will not be deducted.

However, it adds, “please note that family vacations are not considered excused absences from schools.”

The province’s new rules — which Calandra has said are based on pleas from teachers who saw first-hand the growing numbers of teens missing class on a regular basis — now mandate that attendance and participation comprise 15 per cent of final marks in all classes in Grades 9 and 10, and 10 per cent for those in Grades 11 and 12. Just 40 per cent of high school students meet acceptable standards for attendance, a recent report said.

Excused, or allowable, absences should not impact final grades, but if teens miss 2.5 to 4.5 classes per credit without authorization — or the stamp of approval from a principal — their mark in that area drops to a level 3, or a B, and to a level 2 when they hit five to seven classes.

“Parents still have the ability to excuse their children,” Calandra also said Tuesday. “They’ll have to inform the school, the principal, that it is their intention to excuse their child” for things like outside sports, music, dance or other activities. 

“This isn’t targeting those kids who are busy and are doing the right thing,” Calandra added. “What this is about is those kids who don’t have an excused absence from their parents — who sometimes their parents don’t even know that they’re skipping a class … Ultimately, you have to participate, and you have to be there.”

Concerns around the lack of clear details around the new policy are especially high for students in Grades 11 and 12, given post-secondary schools look at those marks and even a slight drop can make the difference when applying to competitive programs. 

The province’s principals are still waiting for more details and say they wish they had been consulted beforehand, especially with mid-term marks required a couple of months into the school year.

“Principals have already been doing things like that — giving permission” for extended vacations or tournaments, said Ontario Principals’ Council president Amy Johnson, adding parents typically email administrators or teachers in advance of such absences.

“That’s the easy part — it’s not the part we’re struggling with,” she added. “It’s the many other situations that weren’t accounted for in (the minister’s) comments and aren’t outlined in the policy.”

Vulnerable families may not notify a school of an absence in a timely manner, and principals are also unsure how to deal with 16- and 17-year-olds who live independently. 

In general, she added, “principals work to accommodate families who wish to take their children on holiday” but will intervene to discuss concerns when student achievement is at issue.

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said the minister has given conflicting messages on the policy when it comes to sports and vacations.

“I think this is the third different answer he’s given on this … this doesn’t help our kids in school and it doesn’t help the people who help them in schools, our teachers and principals,” he said.

Education unions have been urging the province to instead invest in more mental health services and school supports to address the underlying causes of absenteeism. 

NDP education critic Chandra Pasma considers the policy a “stunt.”

“One student at one school will have one set of rules, and the student at the school next door will have a totally different set of rules, and it affects their marks. It doesn’t matter when they’re applying for university what the rules were — what matters is their grade.”

The plan “made for a good announcement for (Calandra) to say that grades were going to be tied to attendance,” she said. “Then you look at the details and that’s not quite what’s happening.”