Excused Absences

The 2022-2023 school year has proved to be more than controversial. Several students are starts to become critics and new policies are causing chaos. Last year, in order to become exempt from exams, you had to have no more than 5 excused absences and a 90 or above semester average. As of this school year, the new policy has changed from 5 to 3. This has caused some students to be confused and frustrated as this year continues to throw new curveballs at them at every turn.

Personally, this policy has been nothing but inconvenient for me thus far. Only a few weeks into the second semester, I have been both sick and gained a concussion over the weekend during a soccer game. With only having 3 excused absences, I felt compelled to go to school while sick and injured. Although I was at school, it was not beneficial as I was not able to pay attention to class since I was not myself and struggling to just make it through the day. As a result, I have exceeded the amount of absences for half of my classes and my stress and frustration has only doubled.

I tried to trick the system by coming in for half days. My last two classes prove to be the classes I need to attend the most, so I do not get as behind. Somehow, I have managed to only gain 3 excused absences for the last two blocks. My first two classes cannot say the same. It brings nothing but anxiety and exasperation when I’m caught in a crossroad. When I choose to stay at home, all I do is worry and stress about what I’m missing and the absences I’m stacking up. When I choose to attend school, I’m having an out of body experience, struggling to make it through the day.

I contacted Mr. Matykiewicz, one of Collierville High School’s assistant principals to get some insight on the new policies that have been implemented this year. He explained that it was “because of block scheduling. Before, when you missed 5 days, it was really 10 days.” At first, I was confused about how block scheduling is so different from the old schedule regarding attendance as last year, the absences went along with the semester, and from my knowledge and understanding, so did the block scheduling. Mr. Maty simply stated that going back to the old 5-day policy “is not going to happen. We must get approved by our central office and student services and this was approved. It is just not going to happen.”

Here is the thing. If you don’t care about school, if you’re not motivated to get that exemption and get your 90 and above, you are not coming to school. It is a double-edged sword. Some students, like myself, simply cannot miss that much and will work to keep absences down. Others? Not so much. It is rather simple. Limiting the exemption from 5 absences to 3 is not as big of an incentive over the students who simply don’t mind missing multiple days of school. Some know that they will have to take the exam anyway, some don’t care. There is no way of predicting that the student body will feel a surge of inspiration and suddenly decide they will be a scholar student and attend school rain or shine with this new policy. It can all be reduced to one simple fact. If you care, you’ll go. If you don’t care, you won’t.

Gracen Gunter, a junior at CHS who is ranked number 7 in her class, gives her input. “If you get sick even one time, you’re basically destined to take exams. It is unreasonable and people with all A’s should not have to take exams simply because they got sick or had a doctor’s appointment.” When you are a student like Gracen, who excels in their academics and works hard for their grades, getting hindered by something you cannot control can cause tension as the punishment of being behind should be enough.