Students in transition need closure on the school year : Paediatricians call on Education Ministries to allow safe, in-person graduations

OTTAWA – As the school year draws to a close, a significant number of students who will transition out of familiar environments into new schools or different learning settings are being left behind with no closure and little support, say the country’s paediatricians.

The situation is especially acute in provinces that have closed physical schools for the remainder of the year—like Ontario. Transitioning students include those in Grade 5/6 who are moving to middle/intermediate schools, Grade 8/9s moving to high school, and Grade 12 students heading to college, university or the workforce.

With distance learning practices highly variable across jurisdictions, most of these students have not seen their classmates or teachers since March. They have not had the typical supports to help choose courses or academic streams for the fall, and have likely not been able to visit their new schools. Many graduations or leaving ceremonies are happening on screens, with little to no opportunity for students to say goodbye to their classmates and teachers, or to be recognized for their accomplishments. Some parents who have proposed safe, physically-distanced, in-person celebrations have been told these are not possible due to public health restrictions.

Physicians who work with families and children are concerned about students’ current mental health, and worry about how they will fare in the new school year.

“Transitions are frequently points of vulnerability,” said Dr. Daphne Korczak, Chair of the CPS Mental Health Task Force. “It will be challenging for kids to look forward to September if they aren’t ready to make the move, if a part of them still feels they never really left their old school because of the abrupt end.”

Some provinces have formally recognized the importance of transitions by easing restrictions. Nova Scotia, for example, is permitting “drive-in” graduations. Quebec’s public health department is allowing Grade 6 and graduating high school students to go back to school for one final day so that they can take photos and have their yearbooks signed.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have received many touching testimonials from graduates who wanted the chance to celebrate this special moment in their lives,” Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said in a statement. “COVID-19 has certainly changed our habits and traditions, but that is no reason not to salute the graduating students as they deserve.”

The CPS is encouraging other provincial and territorial Ministries of Education and school boards to follow suit and:

• Recognize and acknowledge the importance of graduations in children’s lives;
• Allow schools, educators and parents to work collaboratively and creatively to facilitate these important rituals;
• Ensure there is flexibility to allow for safe, physically-distanced, yet meaningful graduations for students in transition.

“Kids need to see their teachers, their principals, their classmates, knowing that it’s the last time they’ll be all together,” said Dr. Korczak, a child and adolescent psychiatrist. “They need to have their years of hard work and achievements recognized. These rites of passage are very important in helping children prepare for transition, in gaining closure on the familiarity they are leaving and prepare psychologically for the next chapter in their lives.”

While time is getting short before school officially breaks for summer, Dr. Korczak says “it's not too late to do the right thing.”

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Video: Dr. Daphne Korczak on helping kids cope with grief and loss during COVID-19

About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.