As winter is finally dipping into spring, illness among students is at its yearly peak. It’s important to take care of yourself and stay healthy all school year but the later quarters are where you are preparing for the many tests we work all year for. If you’re feeling unwell, it’s best to stay home and recover fully before heading back to classes but with attendance policies and schoolwork piling up, many students do not have that option and must return before they can fully recover and often times get worse as a result or infect other students creating a never ending cycle of students getting sick.
This is deeply troubling. No student should ever have to put their health and wellbeing on the backburner for the sake of their education, especially when it is something they cannot control. According to the U.S Department of Education, younger children average 6-8 colds per year, with influenza causing significant missed days and about 5.8% of students were chronically absent specifically for health reasons as of 2022.
Students who choose to come to school sick sometimes do not have the “luxury” of more time to spend at home getting better and must force themselves to attend class even when they do not feel well. It is easy to judge those choosing to continue the cycle of students getting sick, missing time, then returning only to get sick again or infect others; but you must stop and think. We are all here for the same reason and it is to achieve academic success and that looks different to us all.
For some, missing school due to illness can be detrimental to the progress they have made in their coursework. For others, it can look like resting at home and waiting to get better before returning so that their work can have their full attention and effort. Those who come to school sick have a reason and they are not wrong for wanting to do what is best for their education.
We should not have to come to school sick but if you do, be smart and considerate about it. If you know or suspect you may still be contagious, wear a mask and keep your distance from others the best you can. Make sure to also sanitize any shared spaces or materials you may come into contact with. It is your responsibility to do your part to keep everyone at school healthy and in class all year long.
Being sick is the worst, but we must soldier on and push through even the worst of symptoms for the good of our education. Though it is not wise, if you ever find yourself having to come to school while sick, please mask up, keep your distance, and clean up after yourself to prevent getting others sick and continuing this vicious cycle of illness at school.
