Often during this time of the year filled with flu, stuffy noses and coughing, it is not uncommon to see a fellow peer in class coughing and hacking while struggling to keep their head up.

But if a student is so ill, then why would they come to school to potentially further damage their body or harm others?

Because missing even a few days of school can prove to be detrimental to a student’s grades. Notifications buzz from Infinite Campus as absences are marked and quizzes, tests and assignments go in as missing.

It piles up, and before a student may even notice it, the perfect grade report has slipped down to three Cs and an F in the span of only a few days.

And though those grades may only be temporary, students nowadays, especially those taking higher level classes, are expected to maintain decent grades and conditioned to fear falling behind. Being absent from school slows the ability to keep up with the schoolwork. 

Times have changed, and unlike Ferris Bueller, many would rather pretend to be magically cured of sickness than miss school. And though skipping out on staying home at the time seems to be not a problem, it is indeed a problem.

Attending school while continuing to carry a sickness does not only put a possible delay on recovery, but it may also spread the illness to other unexpecting students. 

Deciding to come to school when not well enough can cause a chain reaction of sickness if it is not properly contained for the needed amount of time.

Though it is understandable to want to maintain a high GPA, it is never worth it in the end. Recovering from illness requires medicine and rest. To continue trekking around the school halls like a zombie does no one any justice. Just like mental health, students should also know when to physically take care of their body’s needs.

To get caught up with schoolwork once recovered from an illness, it is important to communicate with teachers. Asking for the work that was missed and getting a quick start on catching up with material is one way to assure that you do not fall behind.

At the end of the day, missing a few days of school is not the end of the world, and health will always be more important than a couple of missing grade assignments.