Ontario education minister urges parents not to pull kids from school for sports

Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra speaks at an announcement at a school in Ottawa, on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

TORONTO — Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra is urging parents not to pull their kids out of school for sports tournaments next year, when new attendance rules begin.

Starting in the upcoming school year, attendance and participation will make up either 10 or 15 per cent of a final mark, depending on the grade.

In Grades 9 and 10, attendance and participation will be 15 per cent of a final mark, and in Grades 11 and 12 it will be 10 per cent.

If a student has more than two unexcused absences, they wouldn’t be able to get that full 15 or 10 per cent.

Excused absences normally include illnesses and holy days, and while parents are allowed to excuse their children from school for a weekend hockey tournament that begins on a Friday, for example, Calandra says he doesn’t want that to be the norm.

He says attendance rates in Ontario high schools are among the worst in the country, and something must be done.

“My advice to parents is, keep them in school,” he said Monday at an unrelated announcement.

“Education should be their priority. We’re going to monitor this over the next year, as I said last week, and if we have to make some additional modifications, we will.”

Calandra said the ministry has heard from the Ontario Hockey League, for example, when it comes to “high-level” athletes.

“High-level athletes in training, obviously, we’ll make some accommodation for that, but I say this again to the sports organizations as well: Education is a priority,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press