Orillia Secondary School student Aalia Majid says she got a zero on a mid-term exam scheduled on Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan fasting.
She said there was no accommodation made available to her, and the experience was "demoralizing."
“In Grade 11, my largest test fell on Eid, and even with three weeks warning, the day I came back I was told I wouldn’t be able to make up the exam because (my teacher) said I didn’t give a sufficient excuse for my absence,” said Majid.
“I got a zero. It was demoralizing. I hated coming to class after that because I knew the teacher wouldn’t make accommodations for me when I needed them,” she said.
Majid told her story at a recent Simcoe County District School Board meeting. As a student trustee, she offered up her experience as some context for a report indicating a rise in students missing classes post-pandemic, a trend noted in Canada and the US.
At the local public board, a report received by trustees at their April 24 meeting showed the board’s rate of chronic student absences as of the 2022-23 school year at their secondary schools is sitting at 33.6 per cent, while at their elementary schools sits at 43.9 per cent.
Chronic absences are defined as a student missing 10 per cent or more (18 days per year or more) of instructional school days. Across the board, when split by grade, the most absent are students in junior kindergarten (13.7 per cent), followed by Grade 12 students (12.6 per cent) and Grade 8 students (12.2 per cent).
Trustees clarified that holy days and snow days are not considered absences, which is noted in the school board’s current policies.
“I understand it is in policy, but sometimes teachers don’t act on those policies,” countered Majid.
Reasons cited by the school board for the increase in absenteeism include student illness, family holidays, caring for a family member, or socio-economic factors such as access to stable housing or food.
As per the Education Amendment Act, students who reach six years old are legally required to attend school (elementary or secondary) until they reach 18 years of age, unless they graduate or are excused from attending. Families have a legal obligation for their child to attend school and can be held accountable through the law if they neglect the obligation.
“Coming out of the pandemic, the numbers of students who show greater vulnerability or challenges in attendance, are those that also struggle with other things, whether that be poverty or housing,” said the superintendent of student achievement, Chris Samis.
“This isn’t about individual students, it’s about the system and our perception,” he said. “If we can get kids to school, we can get them to be successful.”
Samis said the board is taking a pro-active approach to reduce the rates of chronic absenteeism in their schools, including a poster and communication campaign on the strong correlation between attendance and student success.
Samis gave direct examples within the board. Within the subject of math, he showed data that revealed student absences have a direct impact on math grades.
“Twenty years ago we thought about truant officers. The world has moved beyond that from punishing and charging kids who are absent, to a world where we try to support kids and reduce some of the barriers to going to school,” he said.
Moving forward, Samis said the issue raises questions about what exactly the role of education systems should be. As of now, school boards are finding themselves having to dip their toe into other sectors such as mental health, health care and food programs to make sure students have the best chance of success.
“We may actually be an advocate for things like guaranteed income or community housing,” he said.
New Tecumseth trustee Sarah Beitz noted that in addition to sharing information with parents and families, that it might help to also share it with local sports organizations, as kids involved in competitive sports are absent more often.
“We need to share this information with all organizations that work with kids to really help them understand how important it is to come to school,” said Beitz.
Chair and Orillia area trustee Jodi Lloyd said she’d heard from parents that they’re in a constant battle with social media to get their kids to school.
“I do think there’s more of a laissez-faire attitude from parents post-pandemic,” said Lloyd. “We need a change in attitudes.”
