A new Auditor General report shows that chronic student absence is a problem in Northland School Division, and the division superintendent is calling on the entire community to turn things around and get kids to school each day. The attendance numbers have been called unacceptably low, and the report shows that one in three students in the district are categorized as chronically absent. Donna Barrett, the division superintendent, said “(Attendance) has been a concern at Northland for years. We are working very hard on attendance and, at the school level, many of our schools have put in incentives (and) programs to support attendance. We want better attendance than we have right now, and that’s why so much effort is going into it, so there’s certainly room for growth.”
The report on chronic student absence in Northland School Division shows that this is an ongoing problem. Alberta AG Merwan Saher summarized in the report that “Regular school attendance is critical to student success. Poor student attendance has been a significant and longstanding problem in Northland School Division. About one-third of the division’s students remain chronically absent despite many years of reporting on this situation, and despite what was to have been a concerted attempt to deal with attendance following the 2010 Inquiry Team Report. Factors that contribute to poor attendance are numerous and complex.” Saher made 3 recommendations that involve improving student attendance in the district, oversight by the department of Education, and a plan developed to resolve the chronic student absence issue.