Clearer info urged for school absence data

In the North, two boards reported more than 60 per cent of students and staff away last Friday — but as it turns out, the weather was bad, and buses were cancelled.

In Toronto, one public high school recorded 71 per cent of students and teachers missing classes, but a number of teens were actually at co-op job placements and mistakenly marked absent.

And one Toronto Catholic elementary school was listed as having more than 84 per cent of kids and staff off on Monday — but that figure was wrong.

The data in Ontario’s new absence reporting system — which began Monday and replaces the COVID-19 dashboard families used to search to find out about cases in their kids’ school — has raised new questions about the usefulness of the new online tool.

Given the new figures include any reason for staff or student absences — which can include COVID, but also a student on vacation, as well as kids temporarily learning online — the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association is urging the ministry to find a way to give parents clearer information.

The old dashboard showed daily COVID cases in students and staff, but with the province limiting PCR test eligibility, there’s no way to get reliable numbers anymore.

Now, under the province’s new rules, when schools hit a 30 per cent overall absence rate, families will be notified and public health will become involved. (On Friday, that was 330 schools.)

“Clearly the ministry has some work to do to clean up the reporting structure,” said Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association. “We are also hoping to have a conversation (with ministry officials) about differentiating the numbers a little bit …

“If you aren’t pulling out COVID numbers, you aren’t giving people what they are looking for, you are not giving them a clear picture of what’s happening.”

Some boards, including Toronto’s Catholic board, the Ottawa-Carleton public board and Durham’s public board, are already publicly reporting COVID-19 cases where possible.

According to the provincial data, 16 schools in Ontario were closed Friday for operational reasons, which could be staff shortages.

Overall, the average absence rate for Ontario schools was 18 per cent Friday, with the Toronto public and Catholic boards hitting just over 20 per cent. However, the NipissingParry Sound Catholic board hit 62 per cent absences last Friday and the Near North board, 60 per cent.

“Our schools remain open on days when transportation is cancelled, though absence rates are most often higher than usual on these days, said Nipissing-Parry Sound board spokesperson Kate Bondett. “Our student population is dispersed over a large geographic area resulting in over 70 per cent of our students being bused to school.”

She said buses were also cancelled on Monday, which will affect Tuesday’s numbers.

In the Near North board in North Bay, “due to extreme cold weather,” all buses were cancelled Friday, and again Monday.

“The vast majority of NNDSB students are bused to school and few families drive their students to school if the buses aren't running,” said communications officer Deb Bartlett.

Neither board, however, reported any school closings.

Speaking to reporters while touring a vaccine clinic on Monday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the new data “ensures parents have daily access to rates of absenteeism for students and staff within their child’s school” and that students and staff are being given two rapid tests to use in case they show symptoms.

But NDP education critic Marit Stiles called the absence tracked “laughably vague and offers little usefulness.”

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If you aren’t pulling out COVID numbers, you aren’t giving people what they are looking for, you are not giving them a clear picture of what’s happening.

CATHY ABRAHAM PRESIDENT, ONTARIO PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARDS’ ASSOCIATION