A licensed counselling therapist in Moncton says chronic absence from school is one of the biggest issues his young patients are dealing with these days — right up there with anxiety.
“Whether anxiety came first or the absenteeism came first … I think they contribute to each other and it gets to be a really big mountain,” said Jason Jones of Atlantic Wellness, a clinic offering free mental health services to young people 12 to 21 years old, with funding from by private and public donors.
Around 30 per cent of students across New Brunswick are considered chronically absent, according to Education Minister Claire Johnson.
That’s defined as missing more than two days a month, four weeks over the school year, or 10 per cent of instruction time.
CBC asked the Education Department how many students are not attending school at all, but no figures were provided.
Some students have been out of school since the pandemic, Jones said, and they find it increasingly difficult to return.
Jones said he and his colleagues all have a fair number of school-age clients who are either not attending school, struggling to attend, or looking at other options.
Most would like to get their high school diplomas and go on to jobs or careers, but first, they have to “figure out how to climb this big mountain,” he said.
CBC asked Atlantic Wellness to quantify these types of cases, but a tally was not available.
Many reasons for absences
Some students are struggling academically and feel they’re too far behind to catch up, Jones said. Others are struggling socially, don’t feel safe or have problems with particular teachers.
School can be a cruel environment with cliques and bullying, he said. Many find it difficult to navigate.
But avoiding school doesn’t make things easier, Jones said. If the issue is not addressed, it can lead to more problems down the road, such as isolation, depression, addiction and underemployment.
Jones and his colleagues work with the young person, their family and the school district to break down barriers and build up support systems.
“It may involve walking through difficult times, but hopefully that will build strength and resilience,” he said.
Social connection can be a big help, Jones said.
“That could be just going somewhere at lunch and playing cards with a couple of other students. It could be an adult in the building … or a safe room that they can go to.”
He has seen some success when students find a way to get involved at school, when class sizes are smaller or when students have the option of working from home.
New options should be considered, says superintendent
Anglophone East is one of a few districts that have been experimenting with more flexible learning options, said superintendent Randolph MacLean, noting that educators and parents in New Brunswick and beyond are also recognizing chronic absence is a problem.
“I’m sensing an urgency about it,” he said.
The chronic absence rate in Anglophone East is about 39 per cent, down from 43 per cent a few years ago, but still much higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 26 per cent.
Some students who have been out of the system for a while are being brought in to an alternative learning site at Hillcrest School.
The district is also looking at online schooling options, MacLean said.
Anglophone North superintendent Dean Mutch will be watching to see how pilot projects in the southern and western parts of the province go and what can be brought to his district.
The chronic absence rate among its high school students has worsened to 31 per cent from 28 since 2022.
The district has tried some incentives to get students to return to school, he said, but none has worked.
Each student’s reasons are very specific, so it’s difficult to come up with a way to tackle them, Mutch said.
The district works with the Department of Social Development and other interested parties to try to figure out what is going on and support the learner, he said.
Mutch doesn’t think bullying is a significant factor, because, he said, students are well aware of how they can deal with that and who can help them.
Mental health resources are also available, he said, while acknowledging the district doesn’t have all the professionals other districts do, such as school psychologists.
In Anglophone East as well, guidance counsellors don’t seem to have much time for actual counselling, noted Jones, the therapist.
“We don’t have as many resources as we’d like,” said Johnson, the education minister, “but we’re going to be innovative and we’re going to support families as best we can.”
She’s hopeful that new programs and staff, including behaviour intervention mentors, will help to create more welcoming and supportive school environments.
Best practices in other jurisdictions are also being studied, she said.
The provincial government has committed to reducing the rate of students who are chronically absent by approximately six per cent by 2028.
