Doctor’s notes no longer required for some short absences from school in Quebec

Elementary and high school students, as well as higher education students, will no longer be required to present a doctor’s note to justify certain absences from class in Quebec starting next fall.

The CAQ government made the announcement on Friday and say it’s a measure to help reduce the administrative burden on doctors, who have long argued that they spend too much time managing paperwork.

Quebec is asking primary and secondary schools to no longer require a doctor’s note to justify an absence of less than five days.

However, a medical certificate will always be required for absences from grade 10 and 11 ministry exams since these exams are required to obtain a high school diploma.

For longer absences, schools will be able to implement their own policies regarding a doctor’s note.

A medical certificate may be required for absences from the primary and second secondary ministerial exams, depending on the policies of each school, which is already the case.

“When our children are sick and they must miss school, we never do it for fun. It is therefore good news that the requirements for medical notes are being reduced,” said Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville in a press release. “We trust the judgment of parents and school administrators so that everything goes well.”

Health Minister Christian Dubé reiterated on Friday that the goal is to change the culture in the healthcare network so that doctors can devote more time to their patients.

“I would like to thank the contribution of schools and higher education, which are also reviewing their ways of doing things to reduce paperwork,” he said in a written statement.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews