Imagine having to pick between going to prom or going to a funeral. Over the past year, I have seen how strict the administration been with absences with students. The attendance contract being an issue for teenagers in highschool can be stressful in managing there absences. How are people going to want to participate and actually want to do school-related things when we are the ones having to decide what’s more important to us, having a

When I was a Freshman, the school put me on an attendance contract halfway through the year because I was not making it to school. When I got sent down after my 8th absence they put me in an office with a dean and didn’t ask why I was never at school and just gave the contract to me and I was on my way. But I feel if the dean would’ve had a talk with me about what was going on, things would’ve been better. 

Having an attendance contract made me not want to be involved in anything after school and just made me want to stay home more. Not being able to miss school made me want to miss it more because I wasn’t able to make my own decision. 

 At that time the school was more concerned about why I wasn’t at school,more than what can they do to make students want to actually be in school. I get the argument on if you aren’t at school how are you going to learn? But letting students grieve in there own way and having a safe place to express their feelings is more important than grades.

The school does have a strong point on the issue with making students stay in school and making kids learn through being in the classroom. Having the support of being more involved in school has a great impact on students career after high school with making sure they have experience for the real world. 

 I feel that the school needs to actually have a sit-down conversation and ask themselves, is this attendance contract really helping or is it just making students not want to go to school?

Not letting students go to after school activities really play a part in how the students will want to keep going to school or not. Not being allowed to participate in those activities and being excluded just makes the students not want to work hard in school and just stay home.

I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be consequences for not showing up to school and ditching, but I think that there is something that needs to be done with the way the administration handles these situations with students. 

There needs to be a change in the way the school looks on absences and makes sure that the students are in good hands and making sure they are in a safe environment. The school needs to be more empathetic when it comes to the students missing school with that there can be valid reasons that shouldn’t be penalized.