By: Katelyn DeAgro ’17

As we are entering into the colder more bitter seasons, it quickly becomes inevitable that the majority of the student body will battle to ward off sickness. However, many of these students would rather carry their germs into the school than miss a class.

At Staples, the pressure is already on in every aspect of student life. Add in the necessity of a sick day and the workload itself can push a veteran student to the point of tears. Often students will attend school in a less than desirable state even if they could have benefited their overall health by even just sleeping in a bit later.

For many students, this is where the costs start to outweigh the benefits. First, you Immediately feel guilty for not being in class on time as you go to sign in under the watchful glare of the staff manning the front desk.Second, you realize that you have missed an exam that will soon be hitting the learning center with new and “improved” questions because here at Staples there are teachers who specifically design “tougher” exams for those who miss class.

This here is the biggest kick you while you’re down policy that many teachers have in place.

There is a case to be made in saying that by creating a more difficult make up test, you are protecting the students who made it to class from the possibility that another student got more time to prepare.

In my not so humble opinion, this is ridiculous to assume in a school as competitive as Staples. If there is a student who is feeling so badly about their ability to take the exam on time, than perhaps that is a problem that needs to be addressed rather than punished.

Schools are already a breeding ground for germs and are probably the reason that most doctors clinics have not closed up shop. Is it too much to ask to make it more manageable for sick students to stay home?

I think that we can all agree that few things are productive when a student struggles to move themselves between classes or struggles to stay awake during a long lecture.