SUSAN JOUDREY_ Nova Scotia dropping the ball on school absenteeism

11/30/22, 3:26 PM SUSAN JOUDREY: Nova Scotia dropping the ball on school absenteeism | SaltWire

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Halifax > Opinion

SUSAN JOUDREY: Nova Scotia dropping the ball on school absenteeism

Rampant illnesses keeping teachers and students out of the classroom SaltWire Network | Posted: 6 hours ago | Updated: 4 hours ago | 4 Min Read

Susan L. Joudrey: “Unprecedented rolling student and teacher absences have caused more disruption for learning and made this year the worst of the pandemic.” Contributed photo

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Susan L. Joudrey is associate director of the Centre for Learning & Teaching at Black Friday Sale! News your way for only $10 a year.BECOME A MEMBER

Dalhousie University, and a member of the COVID action group PoPNS (Protect our Province N.S). Twitter: @PoP_Nova Scotia

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11/30/22, 3:26 PM SUSAN JOUDREY: Nova Scotia dropping the ball on school absenteeism | SaltWire

By Susan L. Joudrey

If there was ever a time to be worried about our publicly funded institutions, now is that time. Nova Scotia’s education system is struggling to function.

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During the early days of the pandemic, there was much concern about “learning loss,” that students would be denied a standard of education that was expected and deserved. This was mostly due to a rapid transition to remote learning, with almost no preparation time for teachers, and with parents and guardians having to juggle work, household tasks and online school. Teachers have managed to

provide good learning experiences in the last two years, despite the odds.

Now we’re into year three and, well, do I have news for you. The current circulation of illnesses — respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu and COVID-19 — is destroying the school year. Unprecedented rolling student and teacher absences have caused more disruption for learning and made this year the worst of the pandemic.

The decision by the Nova Scotia government to do nothing about the on-going pandemic has jeopardized student success and put educators in an impossible situation. Well-designed curricula require thoughtful planning and consistent, predictable pacing. Without a consistent group of students in class, you’re stuck teaching the same concepts and ideas multiple times because the cohort is broken. This is especially difficult with large class sizes because you can’t always provide students with individual attention. I imagine there are many frustrated teachers who can’t move through their lesson plans because constant absences make it impossible to build upon prior learning and successfully assess desired learning outcomes.

The current situation is worse than the first two years of learning disrupted by COVID.

Even when the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development announced a return to a “normal” school year this August, many people questioned whether that would be possible. After watching record high admissions at the IWK Health Centre throughout the summer, it seemed unlikely

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that the traditional cold and flu season would magically be unremarkable. You have 1 article left

Parents of vulnerable children have been forced to make other education Black Friday Sale! News your way for only $10 a year.BECOME A MEMBER

arrangements, recognizing that the schools are not safe. The Nova Scotia education system has left them behind and demonstrated a lack of commitment to accessibility, equity and inclusion.

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11/30/22, 3:26 PM SUSAN JOUDREY: Nova Scotia dropping the ball on school absenteeism | SaltWire

Even with a $351-million surplus and almost $50 million in funding provided by FLASH SALE

the federal government specifically for a safe return to school, the government has done nothing substantial to improve indoor air quality. They haven’t created smaller cohorts of students. They haven’t created robust online options. Each of these things would improve the teaching and learning environment.

Too little uptake

At the most recent press conference, we learned how abysmally low vaccination rates are among children, for both the flu and COVID. In fact, there’s very little difference for children 12 and under compared to this time last year when vaccines weren’t available for that age group. We are not yet at the height of cold and flu season, but we are witnessing unprecedented amounts of sickness in the school-aged population. Without some changes, it seems highly unlikely that students will meet the expected learning standards.

While the government hasn’t released absenteeism rates for the regions, you don’t have to go far to hear stories of students and teachers too sick to be at school. Social media has been rife with these experiences. Twitter users have been estimating that between 40 and 50 per cent of the student population

seems to be missing from their children’s school.

One Twitter user commented that on Nov. 21st, 200 students and 17 teachers weren’t at Citadel High School in Halifax. A teacher on the South Shore mentioned that they were currently off work because of COVID and that absenteeism has been between 30 and 50 per cent.

This decision to allow illness to run rampant through the schools isn’t just affecting elementary students, but high school students as well. During the pandemic, post-secondary institutions have been concerned with the scholastic ability of incoming students. The current situation is worse than the first two years of learning disrupted by COVID.

And what of the students who are attending school sick or wondering when they’ll see their friends again? Constant concern for your health or others’ well being isn’t conducive to learning. School shouldn’t be a site for trauma, but it is for many, and the additional threat of illness doesn’t encourage academic

success.

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The Nova Scotia government is stealing education from students by refusing to You have 1 article left

implement strategies that would reduce the transmission of illnesses, such as Black Friday Sale! News your way for only $10 a year.BECOME A MEMBER requiring two-way masking until they can provide better indoor air quality. Those

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11/30/22, 3:26 PM SUSAN JOUDREY: Nova Scotia dropping the ball on school absenteeism | SaltWire early fears about learning loss are now a reality because of government inaction,

and it’s time that we make immediate changes to salvage the school year. Op-ed Disclaimer

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