Maria Rogers

Chronic absenteeism is becoming a mounting concern in Canada and globally. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, rates of student absenteeism around the world have spiked, and have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. More and more children are not attending school, with devastating long term consequences. As Canada faces increasing teacher strikes (currently in Saskatchewan, recently in Quebec), extended school absences are becoming the norm for this generation. The proposed article will situate the current state of absenteeism in the Canadian context, and discuss how this important social determinant of health is linked with long-term student well-being.