In a world focused on money and image, schools have begun to prioritize financial gain and a positive reputation over the health and well-being of their students. The new attendance/Opt-out policy at GEHS is discriminatory against students who face situations beyond their control. Students who have chronic illnesses, struggle with mental health, and have financial difficulties are overlooked and discriminated against in this new school policy.

Students who have chronic illnesses can’t always control whether they are at school or not. The rise in chronic illnesses is something to be taken into account. According to UCLA Health, Chronic illnesses in kids have risen by 30% in the past 20 years. In addition, these diseases can cause kids to be sick more often and even be hospitalized.

¨But when it comes to getting sick, not all immune systems are equal. Some people seem to get sick much more often than others,¨ said Elana Spivack, in an article about why some people get sick more often. Students with chronic illnesses already have to go through the struggle of their health, and now they have to tackle their attendance along with that. Though these are physical illnesses, students can also struggle with mental illness.

Students with mental health problems and disorders sometimes need more breaks than the average student, and some of these problems can even be caused by school itself. According to the CDC, allowing breaks for kids with behavioral disabilities such as ADHD and Autism is beneficial for their performance in school and their behavior in class. Kids who deal with anxiety and depression, and the students who are stressed from juggling so many things in their lives, sometimes need a few mental health days within the year to recharge. According to Very Well Mind, 12 states in the U.S. have allowed students to take mental health days as of 2023.

According to the CGD, children’s education has become extremely expensive, which has caused it to be difficult for some families to send their children to school every day. Also, students with financial issues at home may also need to stay at home more times than other students. Some students have to work jobs in order to help their parents pay bills.

“Similar to during the Great Recession, experts say financial need is driving more and more teens into the workforce right now,” said Christina Marfice in an article by Motherly. Kids whose families struggle financially can have multiple reasons why they are not attending school every day, and these are not always the student’s fault.

Some people would say that this policy needs to be in place because that is how the school will get its funding. A student’s physical and mental health is a higher priority in this situation. While the school does get funding based on attendance, it’s not rational to punish students because the school needs more money. Also, punishing students for these situations is unjust, while the funding is not going to all the right places. According to Busted Coverage, the spending on sports activities is normally around 3 times more than the spending on education.

The new attendance and Opt-out policy at GEHS is hurtful to students who have situations where they cannot control if they are at school or not, such as finances, mental health, and physical health conditions. This requires more recognition because students should not be punished and given fewer opportunities because of a situation that they cannot control.

In a world so focused on money and ideals, we should be thinking about what is important for students’ health and education, and not teach them that they should be ashamed and that they will be discriminated against because of something they can’t control.