Students’ regular attendance being important is something that cannot be denied. Being in school allows students to stay on track academically, but more importantly, it allows them to develop strong working habits and engage with others as they will need to be able to do the rest of their lives. Although it is important to be in school, it seems as if the current policy in Stamford High School does not adequately line up with the overall well-being of students in our school. This is not to say that students should just be able to take off whenever they feel like it, but suggesting how allowing students to have more sick days creates a much healthier learning environment, not only for students but all staff in the building.

More sick days ensure that students have the time to properly recover from any illness that they might encounter. Usually, students have to provide the attendance office with a doctor’s note, which allows for one or two days off max. This pressures students to return to class before they are fully recovered and able to learn. By doing this, we are not only prolonging the student’s illness but also escalating the risk of the spread of an illness. Living in a time post COVID-19 pandemic, this is all the more reason as to why schools need to acknowledge that being sick isn’t always just a 1-2 day thing. Allowing more sick days would not only allow but encourage students to stay home if they are not feeling well, but also protect others.

It seems as though the school has worked to acknowledge this understanding by allowing two mental health days per year, but absentee policies seem to fail to reflect this understanding. Research has shown that this can contribute to stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. Students are often in a position where they should stay home but feel as if they need to be there every day. Being more flexible on this would allow students to take breaks needed to recharge and allow for recovery from an illness if needed.

In our school, some try to take advantage of the attendance system, racking up unnecessary absences. However, research shows that success does not completely tie into perfect attendance. Being at school while sick is just not an efficient way to learn what you are there to learn. This ensures that when you do attend school, your time is being used effectively and not wasted by being disengaged with what is going on in the classroom in situations where you may not be able to focus.

Generally, education is not effective when students are not well. Being more flexible with sick day policies would support the overall health and conditions of those in our learning environment. Prioritizing the well-being of those around us is much more important, leading to a much better academic place to be and better ways of being educated for all around us.