Bill 198 explained in plain English
Student Absenteeism and Protection Act, 2018
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 198 amends Ontario's Child, Youth and Family Services Act and Education Act to mandate reporting of habitual student absenteeism or lateness to children's aid societies, treating it as a potential sign of a child in need of protection.
Bill 198, the Student Absenteeism and Protection Act, 2018, amends the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Education Act in Ontario. It aims to protect students who are frequently absent from or late to school by identifying such patterns as potential indicators of abuse or neglect, which could require intervention from a children's aid society. The bill also establishes a duty for school principals to report persistent, unexcused habitual absenteeism or lateness to children's aid societies under specific circumstances, and adds criteria for when a child is considered in need of protection due to these issues.
- Amends the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 to include habitual absenteeism or lateness as a circumstance where a child may be considered in need of protection.
- Adds a duty for school principals to report habitual absenteeism or lateness of compulsory school-aged students to a children's aid society.
- Specifies conditions under which habitual absenteeism or lateness will trigger the duty to report to a children's aid society.
- Introduces a provision for the Minister to make regulations regarding notification to principals about students with habitual absenteeism or lateness.
- Amends the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 to consider a child in need of protection if habitually absent or late for more than 40 days without excuse, under certain circumstances.
- Adds a circumstance to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 where a child is considered in need of protection if withdrawn from school to avoid scrutiny from a children's aid society.
- Children of compulsory school age
- Parents or guardians of compulsory school-aged children
- Principals of elementary and secondary schools
- School attendance counsellors
- Children's aid societies
- The Minister
- The duty of a school principal to report habitual absenteeism or lateness of a compulsory school-aged student to a children's aid society.
- The condition that a child is considered in need of protection if habitually absent or late for more than 40 days in a school year without excuse, only if specific circumstances of engagement with parents or guardians apply.
- The duty to report when a child is withdrawn from school to avoid scrutiny from a children's aid society.
- The Minister's power to make regulations requiring boards to notify principals about students with habitual absenteeism or lateness.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (Section 4(1)).
- Section 1 of the Act comes into force on the day section 74 of Schedule 1 to the Supporting Children, Youth and Families Act, 2017 comes into force (Section 4(2)).
- Section 2 of the Act comes into force on the day section 125 of Schedule 1 to the Supporting Children, Youth and Families Act, 2017 comes into force (Section 4(3)).
- The specific '40 days' threshold for habitual absenteeism or lateness is mentioned, but the definition of 'habitually absent' or 'late arriving' beyond this numerical threshold is not explicitly detailed in terms of behaviour.
- The circumstances under which a child is considered in need of protection due to habitual absenteeism or lateness require specific actions by school personnel (meeting with parents/guardians) which may not always be feasible or successful.
- The bill does not specify the exact process or timelines for reporting, nor the subsequent actions a children's aid society must take upon receiving a report.
- The text does not detail the implications or penalties for failing to report when required, nor for principals who do not comply with the reporting duty.
Adds habitual absenteeism or lateness as a ground for considering a child in need of protection, subject to specific conditions. It also adds grounds for considering a child in need of protection if withdrawn from school to avoid scrutiny.
Source: Section 1 (1) and (2), Section 2
Imposes a duty on school principals to report habitual absenteeism or lateness of compulsory school-aged students to a children's aid society, provided certain conditions related to attempts to address the issue with parents or guardians are met. Allows the Minister to make regulations on notifying principals about such students.
Source: Section 3
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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