Are you ever sitting in class and the person next to you is hacking up a storm? Isn’t it just lovely that students feel obligated to come to school when they are sick? You’d think they’d just stay home to recover and protect their peers, but apparently if they do they get early release taken from them.
We are constantly told to stay home when we are sick, but are then punished for doing so. It has only been five months since the World Health Organization declared COVID no longer a public health emergency. Many students contracted COVID last school year and the CDC’s protocols state that infected people need to quarantine for five days. With this in mind, how is it fair that students are only permitted to miss two days per quarter before experiencing ramifications?
Aside from COVID, December is around the corner which means flu season is almost here. People get stomach viruses, strep, colds and lots of other illnesses that can keep them out of school. Punishing students for being ill isn’t right.
Students want to have early release their senior year and if they’re told they won’t get it due to staying home when they’re sick then of course students will bring their viruses to school. Since the first round of early release is based on junior year attendance, current juniors will probably show up to school sick, spreading their germs, in order to secure the early release privilege.
Being sick doesn’t even begin to cover all of the valid reasons for missing school. Upperclassmen need to visit colleges and universities when students are on campus to experience more than just empty buildings.
Occasionally, a day to mentally recharge is also needed, especially in the intensely competitive academic scene that is Northern Virginia. Some students also experience family emergencies that may require them to be pulled out of school. So many factors can affect a students attendance so how is it fair to take away privileges over something a lot of students don’t have control over?
Admin should not look at absences to determine if a student deserves early release. Instead, all seniors should start the year with early release and their grades should be monitored. If a student’s grades slip beyond a certain point then they should be put back in titan time until their grades recover.
