‘Nope, it’s not worth it anymore.’ Attendance sliding at Ontario’s virtual schools as parents and kids burned out

June often comes with a buzz in the school hallways, with students excited about outdoor excursions, class parties, or end-of-year events like prom and graduation.

But with classes remaining online in Ontario for the last weeks of the year, many students are burned out and teachers are noticing their attendance rates dropping, even more than usual in the warmer months.

They're struggling to get up and get going with schoolwork and engaging with the curriculum," said Jennifer Reid, a Grade 3 teacher at Tecumseh Public School in the Halton District School Board. On some days, she estimates 50 children are absent from classes at the school.

They need the social interaction with their teachers and their friends ... it's a lot harder to feel that emotional connection with people when it's done over a screen."

Educators and community organizations are concerned sparser attendance and so many months of virtual learning have left behind the most vulnerable students, whose parents are essential workers completing shift work, and may not be able to help with school.

Kids from lower-income families may lack a quiet spot to work at home, or consistent high-speed internet, Reid said. In the fall, she hopes schools will lower class sizes so learning gaps can be more easily identified, hold more classes outdoors, and hire more child and youth counsellors, as well as math and literacy coaches.

I think it's a tragedy that (in-person learning) wasn't set up better in September, and we're going to see the ramification of it for years to come," Reid said. It's really sad."

The fact schools are recording irregular attendance - with numbers dropping over the course of the pandemic - should be no surprise, said Prachi Srivastava, an associate professor at Western University, specializing in education.

It is a predictable outcome of a year and a half of disruption of education in Ontario, which is the longest disruption in Canada, and is now rivalling the longest in terms of the global average," she said.

While boards have some autonomy, they operate within a curriculum framework and resources dictated by the education ministry, Srivastava added. To help students recover from the pandemic, she said broader curriculum reform for every grade, acknowledging pandemic disruptions, is needed. Every student in every school will require remedial education, and support to help them cope with the crisis, she said, and targeted interventions must be planned for the most disadvantaged communities and students.

With vaccination rates for teens rising and children being less susceptible to COVID-19, the ministry said this week it's focused on a safe and stable September" that will be more normal." In-person classes will be available and eligible students will receive their second dose before fall, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said at a press conference Wednesday.

Lecce acknowledged learning and attendance gaps have emerged due to COVID and announced a plan to support recovery and renewal," with $85 million being directed toward reading and math supports. Summer learning and mental health supports will be part of this plan, he said.

While the ministry has announced funding to cover education gaps, including tutoring and mental health supports, school boards are still developing plans on how to better engage students in the fall.

Throughout the school year, Mary Fraser-Hamilton watched her three children, in kindergarten to Grade 4, struggle with the virtual school model to the point she and her husband decided to remove them after the April spring break.

We were dealing with massive temper tantrums," she said. It was hard to get my two youngest to even stay close to their computer screen. My oldest one was developing anxious, perfectionist behaviours."

Fraser-Hamilton is a high school drama teacher in Mississauga who took a leave earlier in the school year for her mental health. Since she was already at home, she provides some schooling to her kids and allows them to stay off the virtual model.

She said she has the privilege to stay home and ensure they don't fall behind over the summer. At this point in the school year, parents are not looking to fight with kids over attendance, especially young kids, who are served poorly by online learning, she said.

All of the little things that we used to have power struggles over our kids, it's like nope, it's not worth it anymore."

While some kids have thrived online, others need to move around, and be more physically engaged in learning, particularly younger students, said Cathy Abraham, the Ontario Public School Boards' Association president.

I hear more and more parents saying they just don't want to be online anymore," Abraham said. The kids are tired of it ... they have been away from everybody for too long and they're just done."

It will be crucial for teachers to meet students where they are" when they return in the fall, she added.

Children of parents who are essential workers living in hot spots like Brampton have especially been let down, said Angela Carter, the executive director of Roots Community Services Inc. in Brampton. Virtual learning means they are even less engaged, and without parental supervision.

Roots has been providing counselling services for parents and children during the pandemic, and concerns about virtual schooling come up often, she said.

A lot of parents are at their wits' end," she said. More kids are going to be really behind for this last year. Government and the school boards need to find a way to accelerate these children, to catch up."

Roots is building a tutoring program aimed at Black students in the region to help them catch up if they've been left exhausted by virtual school and pandemic stress.

The Toronto District School Board is tracking absenteeism and learning loss. In a report in March, the board notes early literacy skills have likely suffered and students' active participation" for grades 6-12 had declined.

The Peel District School Board said it's developing a student re-engagement" plan to address the learning challenges.

To completely understand the effects of closures of schools on students, and plan for data-informed interventions, boards will need to make cumulative attendance data accessible to the public and policy makers, which they have yet to do, Srivastava said.

Attendance is one of the strongest predictors of things such as achievement, transition on to the next level of education, and how well that student will do in the next phase," Srivastava said. Without having access to data on a systems level, that poses a problem in terms of education recovery."

Olivia Bowden is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: obowden@thestar.ca

Maria Sarrouh is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: msarrouh@thestar.ca