Staff vote: 23 agree, 2 disagree

You would think if you have any sort of contagious illness, you wouldn’t come to school.
Plain and simple.
But lately, it’s so common to hear of students coming to school with the flu and other sorts of illnesses just because they feel obligated.
It’s sad that a lot of high school students feel pressured to go to school when they’re sick because they don’t want to fall behind in their classes.
And the thing is, when you miss school, especially for a large number of days, it’s really hard to get caught up after that.
Let’s be honest — SchoolCenter is a joke.
If someone stays home because they’re sick and they’re so caught up in the whole being sick thing, they shouldn’t be punished for not checking SchoolCenter.
Students should not feel pressured to come to school because they have a test that day or an in-class research project.
Teachers need to be understanding of the fact that students, like everyone else, get sick every once in a while. If they don’t want to get sick as well, the student needs to take the day off.
If a sick student so much as sneezes on a desk that another student sits at, that person could potentially get sick as well, and then pass it on to the next person, and to the next person.
Then there are more and more people worrying about coming to school when they are sick so they won’t miss out either.
All in all, it’s just not worth it.
It’s a vicious cycle that won’t stop until, as students, we take a Netflix/nap day when we have fevers or funny rashes or strep throat.
And honestly, it sounds like a blessing to be able to take the school day off for a very good reason.
Give yourself a break.
The pressure and stress you put on yourself is more than likely what got your immune system into this mess in the first place.
So, just to get this straight, if you have a contagious illness, do not come to school.
Your friends and teachers should thank you in the long-run for not passing it on to them.