Government is reminding parents, students, teachers, administrators and employers to complete an online questionnaire by Friday, July 8 to help develop a student attendance policy to increase student success and achievement in the classroom.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is looking for input on key issues and ideas to help improve overall attendance.

Based on the information gathered from the online survey, focus groups, consultations and research, the department will develop a new policy to provide a consistent approach in schools in the fall.

“I want to thank those who have already expressed their views, and I encourage more Nova Scotians to share ideas on how we can better support student learning through improved attendance,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Karen Casey.

“We know this is a complex issue with many reasons why students are missing class. That is why we need to have this conversation with students, parents and teachers to help develop a policy that is flexible to recognize students’ individual needs and respects the professional judgment and knowledge of our teachers.”

The Action Plan for Education is designed to help students do better and that includes supporting regular attendance at school through a provincewide student attendance policy.

The questionnaire is available at http://www.ednet.ns.ca/attendance .

Source: Release