In an attempt to increase attendance, Park administrators decided to clamp down on their rule book. Although no new protocols were established, students are only now being made aware of an important attendance policy: a parent or guardian can excuse their child for missing school, but only for ten days or less. Once a student surpasses their 10-day limit on parent-excused absences, they are required to turn in a doctor’s note. 

It’s important to note that the 10-day limit on parental-excused absences is not Park’s rule, but Hennepin County’s. Where Park went wrong was randomly enforcing it over halfway through the school year. This is not fair to anyone — staff included.

10 days may sound like a lot, but between minor illnesses, family events and vacations, missing 10 days of school over the course of nine months is nothing. 

I was out with the flu in November and missed a week of school. I couldn’t muster up enough strength to get out of bed, let alone leave the house. Despite being miserable, I didn’t feel the need to see a doctor because I didn’t have any life-threatening or prolonged symptoms. Just from that, I knocked off half of my allotted days to miss without a doctor’s note. 

Because Park requires a doctor’s note for illnesses, having a cold or a migraine won’t cut it — a student has to actively visit a doctor in order to be excused. It’s perfectly reasonable for a student to catch colds, COVID-19 and/or the flu throughout the school year. These situations are not normally severe enough to warrant a doctor’s visit, but they also make going to school difficult. And for the record, going to the hospital is expensive and many families don’t have the money or the time for it when it comes to minor issues.

Not only is going to school sick a bad idea, it’s something that is consistently discouraged at Park. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, students are expected not to come to school with any symptoms of illness. If they stay home, though, they are reprimanded for skipping. These mixed messages are endlessly frustrating.

Even in situations where a student did actually visit the doctor, they might not be able to prove it after the fact. I can’t speak for everyone, but I imagine most students didn’t bother asking for a doctor’s note when they were under the impression that a parent/guardian could excuse their absence. Those of us who didn’t get a doctor’s note for any and all previous appointments are now stuck in the mud.

Whether you are attending or working, being in high school already comes with its fair share of troubles. This unnecessary worry only adds to an overflowing pool of stressors. The out-of-the-blue reinforcement of an attendance rule that was never made clear is ridiculous. If Park’s administration wants to double down on this specific policy, they should have been more transparent from the get-go. They should have made a point of this in the beginning of the year, rather than partway through the second semester. The lack of communication from administrators makes it hard to justify what they are doing.