The Rainy River District School Board is raising awareness of the importance of students attending class regularly.
“19 Days” is a campaign that illustrates the effects of a student missing 19 days which is 10% of a school year.
Superintendent of Education Beth Fairfield says schools in northwestern Ontario traditionally have higher rates of absenteeism.
“We know that the reasons vary. We have a broad geography. We also have weather, transportation, appointments people have to travel out of town for. There are so many varying factors for why we do have a higher rate than the rest of the province,” says Fairfield.
“But I think it’s really important for everyone to understand what the definition of chronic absenteeism is and how it impacts students, not only their learning but also their well-being.”
It dropped considerably during the pandemic when students were forced to learn remotely.
It has improved but attendance levels remain lower than before the pandemic.
Fairfield says research shows a direct correlation between student well-being and student achievement and attendance.
Students who miss too much class may miss key learning and struggle to catch up.
Fairfield says habits around attendance start as early as kindergarten.
“If we can help parents understand that link, that it’s really important that those routines get established in the primary grades, we hope that that will make a difference in improving our attendance rates.”
Fairfield adds the campaign also promotes support for parents from schools and staff.
“We recognize that it’s hard and that there are struggles and that there are issues beyond just getting up in the morning and getting out the door.”
“So how can we, as a school community and the broader school community, because each school also has other supports, not just the supports of the classroom teacher, but how can we work as a team to ensure that every student is getting to school and getting to school on time and ready to learn.”
