- School attendance is an issue of student behaviour, but it is not necessarily a question of student discipline.
- The concern arises when parents refuse to send their child to school, or the student refuses to attend school. Chronic or habitual absenteeism generally has a number of underlying causes.
- The best strategy is to deal immediately with any signs of tardiness, irregular attendance, poor academic performance/achievement or other signs of individual concern.
When Student Attendance is a concern for you:
- Review the school’s current prevention and intervention strategies for promoting, tracking, monitoring and reporting school attendance.
- Determine whether you are dealing with one or two individual instances of chronic absence, or a pattern of habitual absence of several students at the school. Plan your follow-up strategies accordingly; you may need to develop a systemic response if the latter is the case.
- Review with teachers any concerns/suggestions they have regarding student attendance.
- Discuss student assessment and evaluation practices in general, and the assessment and evaluation of frequently absent students in particular.
- Form a staff committee to review school attendance and develop/revise the school plan. Involve others as appropriate (district school board staff and parent/community representatives).
- Review all school policies, procedures and practices concerning attendance. These might include: safe arrival program (elementary); reporting of absences to parents; expectations regarding vacations, appointments and other out-of-school activities during regular school hours; consequences for unexcused absences; expectations of students regarding instruction and assignments they missed during an absence.
- Investigate what strategies are being used by schools facing similar circumstances.
- Discuss school attendance at school council meetings. Do not discuss individual or identifiable cases.
- Seek input and assistance from community organizations and agencies.
- Clarify the roles played by:
- the school board attendance counsellor (if there is one)
- provincial school attendance counsellor
- social workers
- psychologists and/or
- the Children’s Aid Society (in individual cases).
- Acquaint yourself with board policies and procedures regarding home instruction and other accommodations for long-term illness. Students who return from a long-term absence may benefit from the support of the Student Success Teacher, and if applicable, the Credit Recovery Program.
Dealing with Individual Cases:
- Ensure that the student and parents clearly understand their obligations and responsibilities regarding compulsory school attendance.
- Inquire about any specific reasons for the habitual absence of an individual student.
- Provide supports (including counselling) for individual students and parents through school staff and board office staff (e.g. social worker).
- Determine whether there is a need for special education or other program supports.
- Consider an alternative school/program if your board offers one. Involve your district school board’s attendance counsellor if the problem persists.
For more information:
Review your board’s policies and procedures regarding student attendance.
Review relevant legislation to be sure of your responsibilities for enforcing school attendance, if this is a significant issue at the school. References include
- The Education Act, Section 21(1)
- The Education Act, Section 21(2)
- The Education Act, Section 21(5)
- The Education Act, Section 26(4)
- The Education Act, Section 28(1)
- The Education Act, Section 265(c)
- Regulation 298, Section 11(3)(n)
- Regulation 298, Section 23(1)(d) and
- Regulation 298, Section 23(2).