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Ottawa’s public school board is struggling to figure out what to do about teachers and classroom aides who are increasingly calling in sick.

The average number of sick days taken by employees at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has soared by 38 per cent over the past four years, from 7.85 days in 2012-13 to 10.87 days last school year.

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The increase has been fed mainly by large jumps in sick leave among elementary teachers, early childhood educators who work in kindergarten classes and educational assistants who help children with special needs, according to statistics provided by the board.

The early childhood educators and educational assistants took the most sick leave, with workers in both categories booking off sick an average of 14.4 days in 2016-17. Elementary teachers took an average of 11.1 days, while secondary teachers took 8.4 days.

The rising sick-leave rates have alarmed board administrators, who are implementing programs they hope will promote a healthier workplace and reduce absenteeism. The board is spending an increasing chunk of its budget replacing sick workers, and children’s learning is disrupted by the number of substitutes in classrooms.