This year at AHS, we had a new attendance policy put in. If you don’t know about the new policy it is when you miss ten unexcused absences per class, you get zero credit for that class. You can, of course, make it up by being an active participant in that class, staying on top of your work, and being present. You get four sick days per semester and once those are gone, you can only have doctor notes to be excused. I asked questions to the students, parents, and staff of Alliance High School to find out what they truly think about our new policy.

I interviewed Isaac Murphy, who said, “I understand why they put it in but I think it’s going to cause problems because there are people who end up being sick that can’t make it to the doctor.” He also mentioned “gaining credit back is a little too difficult, the standards they hold us to are high.” When I asked what could they change about the policy, he answered, “They could probably add more sick days or just add more days in general.” Isaac thinks that they should go off the students past attendance records, not just the school as a whole.

I interviewed a parent, who would like to stay anonymous, of an AHS student. When interviewing them, I asked what their opinion was on the new policy and how it affected their child. They stated, “I feel as if everyone shouldn’t be punished for just a certain set of children’s actions.” This parent added that their child misses school often because she gets sick easily, saying that they can’t always take the time off to take their child to the doctor. When I asked what could be changed about this policy, the parent gave me a very clear answer. “Well, if you can prove you are gone for a good reason, the school should make it an excused absence.” When asking about the attendance policy, they brought up that not everyone can afford to go to the doctor. Many people have co-pays that they can’t afford, it isn’t really fair to the child if they can’t pay for them to go.

I also interviewed a teacher, who also wants to remain anonymous, about the attendance policy. I started off by asking for the teacher’s opinion on the policy, she answered with her perspective, “I understand attendance is an important part of education, but it does not define future success. In my opinion, the new attendance policy will be a success for those families that are responsible and send their students to school on a regular basis. But for families who choose not to be responsible and have no educational vision for their students, the new attendance policy will fail.” Then I asked what could be changed about our policy, they responded, “During the assembly at Open House we were told ‘If your family is going on a trip and you need an extension of days to be excused, see Mr. Stein.’ No extension other than the policy ‘4-day excuse’ has been granted to any student asking the administrator. If a scheduled family trip was planned before school started and the family spoke to the administrator about the student being absent, why are students only allowed to be excused for 4 days and the other days are non-excused when the administrator and office staff know the family is out of town?” When I asked if it’s fair to the students that actually come to school other than being sick, the teacher said “Students who have a valid reason not to be in school, and are on track with all the assignments, should not be punished because of those who choose to not comply with school policies. That is an unfair judgment.”

I asked the secretaries for their opinions on the policy, they said it’s more work for them but they are both 100% for it. Mrs. Bair said, “I tell my kids about it and how they have to go to school. Of course, it’s going to be different when they are in high school.”

Mr. Stein, our principal, is the last person I interviewed. When I asked for his opinion on the attendance policy, he said, “Love it. I love it. I am all for it.” When I asked why he loved it, Stein answered, “It is holding people accountable for being in school, as being in school is important.” He added, “High school is just more than reading, writing, science, and math. It is about the social aspect and learning to work with others. These four years are preparing you for the next 40 years.” I asked Mr. Stein if anything could be changed and he said that it is ever evolving until it can be the best attendance policy. He stated that Alliance is one the highest absence rates in the state of Nebraska, our school is being judged on that.

As you have seen, the new policy has brought light on many opinions. All of them had amazing points on the policy. A lot of people have different points of views and comments to add to it. The policy really does help kids show up and be there for their schooling, gaining the opportunity to learn more. There is a question that everyone is wondering, is the policy fair to everyone?