Spending the night hunched over the toilet with a grumbling stomach and fever of 102 degrees calls for a day that shouldn’t be spent at school. But even in such horrible condition, anxiety overwhelms the brain just thinking about all the work that will have to be made up. From tests to class notes, to videos shown, it’s as if you’re punished for being ill.

According to University of Santa Cruz Health Center, “Good health is more than just the physical aspect – it is a total state of well-being that includes your emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual needs as well.”

Health is important. Especially when you’re in high school. You need to be healthy in order to maintain a busy schedule crammed with school work, extracurriculars, social events, and family outings.

School shouldn’t be holding us back from getting well.  However the pressure for perfect attendance can make for compromised decisions such as showing up sick.

It’s understandable that Staples wants to make sure students maintain good attendance in order to insure an engaged and thriving community. However, I don’t believe they want students showing up at school sick and infecting the rest of the student body.

When you end up making that grueling decision to stay home in order to prevent infecting anyone that comes within a two centimeter radius of you, prepare for the worst. Not going to school is like digging a ditch that takes you forever to get out of. Your list of work will be longer than Santa’s, and your anxiety and stress level will be off the charts.

So my recommendation to you is…well, just don’t get sick because once you miss a day or two, it’s nearly impossible to get back on track.