Ontario's government is clarifying its position on new school attendance rules, a day after the education minister was questioned about how they would work. Under the changes, attendance is set to count for a significant share of students' final marks, a move that has drawn attention from parents across the province.
According to the announced framework, attendance will make up to 15% of the final mark for students in Grade 9 and 10, and up to 10% for those in Grade 11 and 12. Students who accumulate more than two unexcused absences will not be able to obtain full marks under the new system.
The rules quickly raised practical questions from families, including how they would apply to students who take part in activities that fall outside the classroom. One example put to the minister involved parents whose children attend a hockey or soccer tournament with games starting on a Friday.
In that context, the minister's blunt advice to parents was to keep their children in school. The comment underlined the government's intent to prioritise classroom attendance, while also prompting the need for further clarification on where the lines would be drawn.
In a statement released to ease the concerns, the minister said parents will still have the ability to request that their child be excused for activities that are part of a well-rounded education. Those exemptions, the government indicated, would include sports, music or debate activities.
The clarification seeks to strike a balance between encouraging consistent attendance and recognising the value of extracurricular pursuits. As the new rules take shape, attention will turn to how schools apply the exemptions in practice and how the attendance component ultimately affects students' final grades.