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There are many reasons that someone would want to skip school; there are weather days, trips to the doctor, sick days, and vacation days, as well as a few others.
Though these days may be popular, arguably one of the most popular reasons for students to rack up “unexcused absences,” or days one misses school and has to use a parent note, is for clubs or sports outside of Bob Jones.
As one of the students affected, I think this can be an egregious problem. Some students are gone for competitions so many days that they can no longer afford to miss a day of school when they are sick. This can lead to multiple bills from doctors visit—the student would have to go so that they can have a doctor’s note and be excused—or even the spread of germs through our already germ-ridden environment.
Gen Phillips, a junior, who was on both the Bob Jones Dance Team and a competition dance team outside of school, agrees. She experiences both sides of the issue, but commented, “It’s not fair that you get excused for in-school teams and stuff… I have to use up all my notes for competitions because I miss, like, ten days total.”
Honestly, one might question the amount of fairness granted to these students. Bob Jones athletes often get to miss days for free, but other athletes, ones that may even be more serious about their sports than the school athletes, get penalized for going out and doing what they love.
Sydney Burch, a freshman who currently holds a National Championship in Polocrosse, had to miss four days of school to compete at the National Tournament last weekend. Even though she missed school, she still took the time to pick up all of the work she missed and get it finished. “On the car rides down to wherever I’m going, I get it all completed,” she comments, shaking her head. “Plus, we shouldn’t get penalized for getting active and being healthy.”
Burch also argues that these outside-of-school sports teach essential skills for life. “Polocrosse teaches sportsmanship, working with others, responsibility, and how to act in many different situations. Isn’t that what the school wants?”
Burch also mentions a former agreement she had with Discovery Middle School for days she had to miss school. As long as she had a form signed by the person who was running the event she was competing in, she got out of school without penalty. Surely, if this worked at DMS, it could work here at the Bob.
Last year, a student at Bob Jones was given a chance to represent the U.S. in her sport but had to fight tooth and nail to get her finals changed so that she could compete with the U.S. team.
The students of DestiNation Imagination—a school-sanctioned activity—have taken their finals early for years without consequence because of the date of their global competition.
Bob Jones athlete or not, students should not miss school if it can be avoided, but since this is not the reality we reside in, should it not be equally as easy for an outside-of-school athlete to miss as an in-school one? Could there not be a solution as simple as having a coach fill out a form requesting a student’s time?
Though school policies may not be ready to change, there will always be students rallying together in attempts to initiate change.
