Parents are often asked to decide whether their child should attend school or stay home due to illness. This decision is often easy if the child has a contagious disease or is seriously ill. For example, children who are vomiting or have a high fever should be kept at home, as are children with chickenpox or measles rashes.
Conversely, in many other situations, the results are more subtle. Parents need to consider various factors to make the right decision. Apart from the illness itself, the need to overcome the physical, mental, and emotional stress of crowded schools and typical academic programs must be considered.
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Michigan recently released a report from a national poll that asked parents of middle and high school students how and what decisions they made when their children became unwell.
Research: Mott Poll Report. Image credit: FamVeld / Shutterstock.com
parental concerns
In more than 50% of cases, parents decided to keep their child at home if it was unclear whether the child was too ill to attend school. About 25% of parents said they planned to continue sending their children to school, but 20% left the decision up to their children. Less than 4% of parents sought a doctor's help in making a decision.
For 55-60% of parents, the various factors they considered when making the decision included whether their child was healthy enough to complete the day at school and whether attending would jeopardize the health of others. This included whether or not it would have an impact. In addition, her 35-40% of parents considered their child's behavior and whether staying at home would lead to him missing important school work.
Additionally, approximately 20% of parents considered whether at least one parent could stay home with their child. The same proportion of parents thought their children needed a mental, rather than a physical, break from school.
Student worries
Approximately 66% of parents reported that they expressed concern that their children's grades would suffer if they missed school or that they would miss their friends and school activities. However, almost 80% of parents did not think their children would be stressed about having to make up for lost days because they were given enough time and a reasonable amount of homework.
attendance policy
Overall, about 33% of parents reported that their children missed one day or less of school in January and February, with a similar number of parents missing two to three days during the same period. About 20% of children missed their 4-5 days, but 15% missed at least 6 days.
75% of parents believe school attendance policies are necessary to enforce student attendance, but 25% of parents believe these policies do not work well for children with chronic illnesses. I answered that it doesn't work. In fact, more than 20% of parents believed that these policies encouraged them to send their children to school even if they were sick. Those whose children missed six or more days of school per year were more likely to be dissatisfied with attendance policies.
The inconvenient or unpleasant consequences of keeping your child out of school for multiple days include notes or phone calls from teachers, the need for a doctor's note, the need to meet with school staff, and truancy charges. included, and these were reported by 63%, 50%, 35%, and 35%. 40% for each parent. About 20% of parents reported being banned from activities because their child was absent.
recognize the need
Both parents and children considered the negative consequences of missing class, albeit at different rates. Approximately 66% and 40% of students and parents, respectively, were worried about the negative consequences of missing school, and about 40% of parents had considered it.
A child who is reluctant to stay home when sick may be reassuring, as it may indicate that the child is more motivated to attend class. However, this reaction may also reflect anxiety about school performance and may indicate anxiety or unpreparedness. Therefore, parents should listen to their children to better recognize these factors when making decisions.
Addressing mental health needs
Around 20% of parents said they were considering the decision to keep their children home for a “mental health day.” This may reflect the stress of a typical school environment in order to perform well academically and keep up socially. A romantic breakup, the breakup of a close friendship, or being intentionally or unintentionally shamed on social media can indicate a child's reluctance to confront friends right away. .
Concerned parents may try to help their children by canceling school. However, this is an inherently self-limiting response because children will eventually return to school and face these issues directly.
Nevertheless, mental health days can help children think and plan their responses, learn and use new ways to de-stress and manage anxiety, and find someone to support them at school. may be encouraged to do so. For children with mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, a child psychologist or psychiatrist should be involved in these decisions.
help sick children
Children with chronic medical conditions pose a major challenge, as they often require specialist treatment and more frequent medical visits, resulting in longer periods of absence from school. . These parents must notify the school in advance that their child requires additional medical services.
The school may request a memo from your child's doctor asking for more flexibility in attendance requirements, such as allowing schoolwork to be completed at home or extending deadlines if necessary.