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School Attendance Counsellors

  • We all pay the price for non-attendance
  • Attendance is everyone’s concern
  • The problem of non-attendance is complex and multi-causal

Early identification of school attendance issues is as crucial to a child’s progress as is early identification of learning difficulties. School attendance is an issue that concerns everyone involved in a child’s education: Parents/Guardians, Teachers, Principals, Administrators and Community Agencies, as well as Attendance Counsellors.

When irregular student attendance is identified by school personnel, parents/guardian or a community member, helpful intervention by an Attendance Counsellor at an early stage is most beneficial to the child, parent and the school.

Early referral enables the Attendance Counsellor to determine and deal with the underlying cause(s) of the attendance problem before it becomes an ingrained behaviour and jointly establish a plan of action with students, family and school.  When it has advanced to the latter stage it is less likely to be dealt with successfully.

Additional Information

Contact our Department

Waterloo Catholic District School Board
35 Weber St. W. 
P.O. Box 91116
Kitchener, Ontario
N2G 4G2
Phone (519) 578-3660
Fax (519) 569-4012

Judy Pragnell    Ext. 2297
judy.pragnell@wcdsb.ca

Caseload Schools:

Lisa Harlock     Ext. 2392
lisa.harlock@wcdsb.ca

Caseload Schools:

Fran Baker     Ext. 2366

Caselaod Schools:

Role of The Attendance Counsellor

Attendance Counsellors Involvement with Students

Attendance Counsellors actively work with students in Grades 7 through 10.  Consultation is available to schools regarding all other students.

Referral Process

If a parent/guardian is concerned about their child’s non-attendance, they are encouraged to contact the Classroom Teacher/Principal (Elementary) or the Guidance Counsellor/Administrator (Secondary) to discuss next steps.

Schools may access the Attendance Counsellor for additional support.

The Education Act

The position of Attendance Counsellor is established and required by the Education Act.  The Waterloo Catholic District School Board, by law, like all other school systems in the Province, must ensure that each child’s right to an education is protected. 

The Attendance Counsellor has jurisdiction over, and is responsible for the enforcement of compulsory school attendance with respect to every child who is required to attend school.  However, as implied by the title, the role is primarily that of a counsellor.  It is important, therefore, that the Attendance Counsellor not be expected to act as an enforcer, or used as a threat.

Under the Education act, every child must attend school from the first day in September after his/her sixth birthday until the last school day in June of the calendar year in which he/she becomes 18 or until his/her 18th birthday, whichever occurs first.  Once a child is enrolled in school, under the age of 6, they are considered of compulsory school age and must attend regularly.

Link:  Ontario Ministry of Education – Education Act

Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils (S.A.L.E.P.)

Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils is an option for students who, for a variety of reasons are not meeting with success within the regular school program.

S.A.L.E.P. is a parent initiated option that requires parents and students to be actively involved in seeking and maintaining an alternate placement as described below.

A  S.A.L.E.P. placement might include one or more of the following:

For more information on S.A.L.E.P., please contact your school’s Attendance Counsellor.

Link: SALEP Booklet for Parents (Coming Soon)