I Want to Talk about School Attendance Policies

First, I know that school attendance is an essential piece of a good education. I was the kid that went years without missing a day of school. Many times, this involved me being sick and just keeping my distance from classmates and staying in for recess while everyone else went out to play.

But that was the 1980s.

That was a time when a note saying, “she needs to stay in for recess because she has a sore throat” didn’t cause a single eyebrow to raise.

Today, however, we struggle with the “keep them home if they’re sick,” but “you are truant if you miss so many days without a doctor’s excuse” policies.

I know there has to be some accountability because there are people that take advantage of more lenient policies, but I’m watching good, honest families get raked over the coals.

As for My Family…

I have three children. When one gets sick, I know a trifecta of sickness is about to rain down on us all. I find myself in urgent care three times within 7–10 days. It’s so bad that the staff and I are totally on a first-name basis.