Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra urges parents not to remove students from school to attend sports tournaments next year as new attendance requirements take effect. Multiple outlets report that, starting in the upcoming school year, attendance and participation count toward final grades. The impact varies by grade level: in some grades, attendance and participation account for 10 per cent of the final mark, while in higher grades they account for 15 per cent. Calandra’s message is directed at families planning travel for tournaments during the school year, warning that missing classes could affect students’ academic assessments under the revised grading approach. The reports describe the change as a shift in how student attendance and participation are weighted in the grading formula and frame the minister’s comments as guidance for how to balance sports commitments with school attendance. The outlets do not provide details on exemptions or enforcement mechanisms in the information summarized here, but they agree on the timing of the change and the proportion of the final mark tied to attendance and participation.