The Acting Child and Youth Advocate is cautioning the provincial government against taking a page from Doug Ford’s Ontario government, linking high school attendance to a student’s final grade.
Karen Gray says the reasons behind absenteeism are complex and linking a child’s grade to attendance could do more harm than good.
She says there are significant barriers that many students are facing “on a daily basis” including mental health issues, violence, violence in the home, and homelessness.
Karen Gray (Photo courtesy Office of the Child and Youth Advocate)
She told the Tim Powers Show that while there is no indication that the Wakeham government will follow Ontario’s lead, she had to issue a statement warning against making a similar move.
Former Child and Youth Advocate Jacqueline Lake Kavanagh first raised serious concern about absenteeism in the school system with a report released in 2019 that showed up to 10 per cent – or 6,600 – students in the schools system met the criteria for being chronically absent.
