New student absence reporting method an important tool

A new method for reporting absences at Hastings Prince Edward District School Board is about more than just who’s at school and who’s not.

Beginning December 4, schools will start using a new student absence reporting system called SafeArrival.

It is already in operation at several other boards across Ontario.

Superintendent of Student Services Ken Dostaler says the new system, which he calls a great way to track student safety, is an extension of the School Messenger communication app the board has been using.

“Once you have that download done on your device – whether it’s a phone, whether it’s your computer, you can go to the website, you can also use telephone so there’s three different ways that you can access the platform. Parents can have 24/7 access to a portal that allows them to report absences to the schools.”

Absences can be reported prior to the missed day.

If a caregiver forgets to report the absence, an automated notification system will contact them via email, SMS text and/or telephone to verify the child’s absence and if that doesn’t work, the school will call to follow up and confirm the absence.

Dostaler says they tested SafeArrival through a pilot project at five schools and it was very successful.

He says one thing they did notice is that sometimes people who forgot to report an absence didn’t always respond to a call or message from the automated system.

He suggests saving the number in your phone so it recognizes it.

And while some absences are inevitable due to illness or important appointments, the school board has made it a priority to encourage proper attendance.

Dostaler says while this is a great way to track student safety, it’s also about encouraging proper attendance because when students miss school, they miss not just a day’s learning but all the other supports and social interactions they need.

“Recently we’ve had a lot of advertisement out around mental health and talking about just missing two days per month through elementary results in one full year. And we know that many students miss more than two days a month so we want to ensure that we have good fidelity and that students are coming to school every day, ready to learn, and if they need supports we have them in place for our kids as well.”

Dostaler says schools have sent out information about the new system to families and encourages everyone to make sure their school has proper contact information on file.

More information from HPEDSB here.