With so many steps and precautions taken to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19, it would not be fair to compare the school’s attendance rates to years prior. However, if school is such a safe place to be with all of the safety measures put into place, why are students voluntarily deciding to skip class?
It’s simple, honestly, school isn’t a fun place to be anymore. While enduring a lecture in third hour is never “fun,” at least there was still stuff to look forward to later in the day. At least after getting yelled at for forgetting to do homework we could still anticipate getting called out of class for an assembly every now and then. Now all we do is school work, the nerve.
Without the presence of assemblies, state walks, dances, and other school staples, COVID has sucked much of the fun out of high school. Even if it was an assembly on something mind-numbingly boring, at least it was better than whatever was going on in fifth hour. It gave students an opportunity to sit next to friends that they may not have a class with, allowed them to socialize and give their brain a break for just a few minutes.
Even lunch is socially distant with only three students per table and half the student body eating in the classrooms. Much of the socialization that made high school fun is gone.
Many students have chosen to skip school entirely to do something more entertaining or just take a mental health day to deal with the stress that school work and the pandemic has placed on them.
Unfortunately, something as simple as staying home from school can have adverse effects on a student. Without 90 percent overall attendance, graduating seniors are not allowed to walk across the stage at graduation. Missing class means the possibility of missing notes or assignments which can then affect a student’s grades, causing them to potentially fail the class and lose the credit that they needed.
While it seems hopeless with the pandemic stretching on, seniors (and all students for that matter) must keep the end goal in mind – graduation. We can’t give up on our goals just because it is not as fun anymore.