This time of year germs are thriving. Schools are their haven. Children are sharing far more than pencils and crayons. My school is now experiencing absent students due to flu, strep throat, and the common cold. Some schools in surrounding areas have closed due to sicknesses. My district rarely closes due to children being absent with sicknesses. It seems that the illnesses always hit one or two schools at a time. In order for the county to cancel school, a majority of the schools have to be experiencing a great number of absent students. I think that it is a good and safe idea for schools to close if a large number of students are sick.
When sicknesses are raging, schools are busy. Children are constantly either getting sick while at school or coming back to school before getting well. Teachers are busy tending to fevers, coughs, runny noses, and upset stomachs. Fortunately, most schools now have an in-house nurse. Many students are sent home sick only to return the next day. Students are not allowed enough time to recover and are usually sent home again after spreading germs to other students.
Some doctors insist that a child is not contagious if he/she has started taking an antibiotic. Although a child is not contagious, he/she may not feel like returning to school. Doctors usually list the day that the child can return to school on a note. Often, parents will send their child back to school on this day regardless of how the child feels. I have had children come back to school and feel so bad that they kept their heads down on the desks. When parents are notified, they often reply, “The doctor said he could come back.”
In addition to closing schools to stop the spread of illnesses, it is hard to conduct normal lessons when many students are absent from a class. Realizing the time that it takes to ‘catch-up’ the students that are absent, teachers tend to slow down on academics. Parents are also concerned about their children missing work. Teachers are bombarded with phone calls and notes to send work home with older siblings or friends.
I feel that when a large number of students are absent from school due to sicknesses, it is a good idea to close school for a day or two. If schools are closed either on a Friday or Monday, children will have a long weekend to rest and recuperate.
When sending your child back to school after a sickness, make sure that he/she does not have a fever and is capable of carrying out normal daily activities. While teachers are concerned about children missing school, most teachers are very considerate and willing to work with students who have been sick.
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