Winter and spring are the worst times to get sick. It seems that germs spread even more rapidly than they normally do. But even when students are sick, they still seem to come to school.

School causes so much stress on students that many feel the need to still come even if they are feeling ill or have a fever. They believe that it is not worth the stress to have to make up class assignments.

“Exam exemptions and demerits for missing practices encourage sick kids to attend classes, which slows down their recovery and exposes other students to the same illness,” said Dr. Scott Massingill, Meridian pediatrician.

Doctors believe that at some point there could be a devastating illness that spreads to many students because of one coming to school, afraid to miss classes. This is like what is currently happening with the flu.

“We’ve lost our sense of priorities when a child doesn’t have time to get sick and miss school or sports activities,” Massingill said.

This was in response to the fact that even students who have doctors’ notes will still get in trouble if they have a certain number of excused absences. Trying to get healthy again should be a priority over having to go to school.

School districts make these strict guidelines because the funding they receive from the state is based on the average daily attendance of their students. They do this in order to ensure that students show up for class every day.

“Knowing when to send kids to school and when to keep them home when they are sick is a delicate balancing act for some parents,” said The Meridian.

It should be time for schools to be more alert to their students needs and to want them to be healthy in school rather than trying to balance all of their responsibilities while being sick.