According to the Student Handbook, all absences even though approved beforehand by parents or school staff will be recorded as days missed. This new attendance rule is making the percentage rate go down to 61 percent as the documents state provided by Traci Stiles, Battle High School Attendance Secretary. 

 “All absences, including those approved in advance by parents and or school officials, will be counted as days absent” Ms. Stiles said. “There is no difference between an excused absence and unexcused absence.” 

 Therefore, there is classification as an excused absence but this new attendance rule just setting students up for failure and making our attendance rate drop even faster and more by having stricter rules this also makes it hard for students who are sick or have real-life emergencies without excused absents students might feel pressured to come to school it can also be stressful to students.

“Because I could get in trouble like getting lunch detention or school suspension, I feel shouldn’t have to face consequences for being sick or that my parents wouldn’t be able to call me out its stupid and a unnecessary rule they made I wish they would change it back to what is was last year,” junior Esmeralda Lopez.

Though the new attendance rule was made to improve attendance rates, it has created consequences for students, students should not feel pressured to attend school while being sick, this could lead to some potential health risks and even more stress on the students, many students seem to not support the new attendance rule, school administrators should consider some of these concerns and try to find a balance.