Policy 2.1.8 SUPERVISED ALTERNATIVE LEARNING

Approved: November 20, 2012

Revised: December 1, 2020

1.0 Rational

The Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) policy is intended to provide support for the consistent implementation of policies and programs to re-engage students who are not attending school and who are therefore at risk of not graduating. District School Board Ontario North East SAL policy aims to increase the accountability and consistency of the practice of excusing students who are fourteen to seventeen years of age from attending school, but also provides the flexibility to allow local applications that would benefit students.

The purpose of SAL is to reach a small number of students who are at risk of leaving school early for a wide variety of reasons. If the various retention and engagement strategies that schools use are not successful, then SAL may be used by schools to meet their needs. It is intended to be used for a very small segment of the student population, and only when other measures to help a young person remain in school are not effective. A period of time away from regular school attendance can help a young person resolve an issue so that they can return to school at a later date. In all cases, the primary goal is to offer a program that is in the student’s best interests, reflects their input, and supports the student in meeting their goals.

While in SAL, students can participate in a variety of learning activities, which can include taking courses and/or training, earning certifications, and developing job-search skills and the various essential skills, work habits, and life skills that will help them lead productive adult lives, as well as doing volunteer work and/or other work. As much as possible, opportunities to earn credits should be included in each student’s program. SAL also enables boards to connect students with the appropriate services provided by various health and community agencies to help students address their barriers to learning.

2.0 Definitions

Barriers to learning: some examples include ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender identity, language, physical ability, intellectual ability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio economic status, and any other dimensions of diversity and/or their intersection.

Board SAL Committee: Supervisory Officer, Student Success & Pathways Vice-Principal, three Trustees, three Attendance Counsellors, a community partner, and the Board Lead for Mental Health & Well-Being.

Primary Contact: person directly responsible for monitoring Supervised Alternative Learning Plan (SALP) (e.g., student success teacher, guidance teacher, attendance counsellor)

Parents: refers to parent(s) and guardian(s)

SAL: Supervised Alternative Learning

SAL Committee: refers to all members of the School SAL Committee and Board SAL committee

School SAL Committee: school principal, attendance counsellor, student success administrator, student success teacher and primary contact

SALP: Supervised Alternative Learning Plan

3.0 Policy

Ontario Regulation 374/10, enables the Supervised Alternative Learning Committee of a board to excuse students from fourteen to seventeen years of age from attending school while they continue to participate in learning under the supervision of the board or a school of the board. The goal is to maintain a connection to learning for these students and to support their continued progress towards graduation or achievement of other educational and personal goals. The student and the parent(s), unless the student is at least sixteen years of age and has withdrawn from parental control, must agree to participation in SAL.

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