School is making people sick — literally.

Kids are encouraged not to miss school. I’ve even heard teachers and administrators tell students to go to school even if just a little sick, especially during testing periods. According to my school handbook, a student can miss no more than 7 days per semester for any one class, otherwise the student will receive no credit for that class. Granted, being on an alternating day schedule makes that a little more bearable, but still… This applies to excused absences. Band activities during the school day count for this. Thus, kids that are sick are coming to school. And they are transmitting the disease to other students. Everyone gets sick! Hooray!

Okay, that’s a pretty weak argument, but I’ve got a (somewhat) better one… Schools are not that happy of a place. They give a lot of work and that creates a lot of stress. I’ve noticed that a bunch of tests, projects, etcetera are always assigned at the same time by every class, with a lull in between these busy times. Since the biggest assignments are assigned at the same time, students are very busy. This unnecessary busyness (unnecessary because it seems teachers intentionally assign all projects at the same time) creates a lot of stress. Stress weakens the immune system, making them more prone to getting sick from all those kids who should have stayed home, but couldn’t. (Maybe that argument wasn’t better.)

Okay, I think I am just too sick of school figuratively, so I have to make up a whole bunch of junk describing how schools makes kids sick literally.