Sick day number three has been logged for my 5th grader before we’re a quarter of the way through the school year, leaving us considering how to ration our remaining 7 days through June. The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires 180 school days for public and private schools, with 10 total allotted absences—that’s a 5.5% absence rate for kids grade K-12, mirroring the common two-weeks of time off scheduled for working adults (5.6% absence rate). While the statistics are comparable, is it fair to expect children to try to “tough it out” on days they’re not feeling well to meet these standards? 

In a post-COVID world, the rules for school absences have not changed. According to the PA School Code, 24 P.S. §§ 13-1326 – 1354, after 10 absences, lawful (via written excused) or unlawful (without written excuse), a letter is sent home stating that all future absences will be considered unlawful unless an official note from a physician or court official is provided. After that point, the school may file a citation against the guardians, where they must prove the child was subject to the truancy law and a judge may rule the convicted to pay a fine for the benefit of the school, complete community service, or complete a course to improve school attendance. The first fine may total no more than $300, with additional offenses increasing to $500 and $750.

This section of the PA School code was introduced in 2008, with reviews in 2016, 2018, and February of 2020, just before COVID-19 shut down in-person learning for the remainder of the school year and into the next. It’s fair to think the code would be re-evaluated for the post-COVID world, but research has not found any news of review, and reaching out to the PA Department of Education as well as my local representative shows no current plans for re-evaluation. Current COVID quarantine guidelines require a five-day quarantine period from the onset of symptoms, meaning a child could lose up to half of their 10 allotted absences for one sickness alone. Of course COVID isn’t the only menace requiring a sick day—the flu, sinus and respiratory infections, GI bugs and the rest of the bacterial/viral infection gang bring their own chaos to schools.

This fall, my 10 year old has racked up three colds that tested negative for COVID, missing three school days as a result and sending us well on our way to that 10-day maximum. On the second consecutive sick day of cold number two, I checked the wait times at our local urgent care trying to snag a coveted doctor’s note, only to see the wait times at the 200-minute mark for every location within a 30-mile radius. We opted to skip the note this time around, saving the $30 copay for medical advice to take over-the-counter medicine and rest.

Last year it wasn’t just sickness that spurred our absences—we had one mental health day and a long weekend trip that was cleared for educational purposes. Still, I was stunned to receive a letter in April stating criminal actions could be taken against us for exceeding the allowed number of absences. We spent the rest of the school year playing a game called “can we make it through a school day feeling this way?” We lost that game a few times with a call from the school nurse and an early pick up.

I’m lucky in that my work-life balance allows me to work from home and support my family when that dreaded call from the nurse pops up or a sick day is needed, but many working-parents and guardians lose crucial income on sick days. And in a “damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you- don’t conundrum, sending a kid to school with a dose of cold medicine and crossed fingers can spur harsh criticism. 

Ultimately we need to remember that guardians are just trying to do what’s best for their family, and when sickness throws off the routine we all need to have methods of adapting that work best. We also need the PA Department of Education to review the standards of absences to support families. COVID-19 provided valuable research in the spreading, incubation and effectiveness of combatting illnesses, so why are we not using that data to re-evaluate our expectations in attendance?