Each year, excessive student absences appear to become a hot epidemic plaguing the Brighton High School population, with bad cases of “sophomore slumps,” “junior jitters” and, worst of all, “senioritis” sweeping the ranks of students. With mental health days on the rise and fatigue being a common theme among freshmen and seniors alike, it’s no surprise that an additional day off, such as “Senior Skip Day,” raises concern to BHS administrators and local parents and guardians of the Brighton community.
However, when it comes to one singular day rooted in nostalgia and tradition, Senior Skip Day is not the villain in the long-winded narrative over the concern of whether students are taking too many days off. Rather, Senior Skip Day is really only one of the many fun traditions that our senior students get a chance to uphold and participate in.
Personally, in this battle between seeing Senior Skip Day as a “fun” tradition or a total waste of an absence, I believe the motto “it’s all in moderation” seems to be the best way to go about it.
Currently, the high school’s policy slots nine absences per semester; if that limit is exceeded, the student is put into credit recovery. According to the 12th grade principal, Mr. Nathan Grabowski, there are both unexcused and excused absences, and there are a myriad of reasons to have an absence excused.
In terms of the school’s policy for mental health days, however, the policy is more ambiguous.
“We don’t have anything specifically quoted about mental health, but we’ve had students in the past just say, ‘my parents are calling me out, I need a break, I need a mental health day,’ and usually when that happens, the parents are involved in the process. So, we can’t stop a parent from saying ‘my kid is not coming to school today,’ but we obviously have our handbook that has thresholds, especially with our new absence policy,” Grabowski said.
Nevertheless, while some may ponder the validity of BHS’s sentiments towards excusing mental health days, the policies that have already been put into place are what both faculty and administration deem best for the student population.
Mr. Grabowski, who said that he is here for the “kids first and foremost,” empathized with students’ desire to have an occasional day to themselves.
“When kids think they need what’s best for them, we try to be a part of that process because, sometimes, ‘I think [I need to take a day off]’ is true with adults,” Grabowski said. “They [adults] say, ‘Oh, I’m having a tough day, I’m not gonna work.’ Sometimes when I’m by myself, no one else is around me, and I don’t have anything to engage my mind; sometimes it gets a little worse. That’s not always the case, too. I’ve had days where I haven’t come to work and it’s been a great time. But, we have a lot of those days, just like students. We always want to be here for kids, and if that’s what they think they need is best, we just want to try to help them make the best decision.”
The sentiment continued in conversation with Mrs. Kelly Armstrong, who teaches Leadership and AP English Literature and Composition, both senior-heavy classes.
In terms of whether or not mental health days should be considered excused absences or not, Armstrong said that she can see both sides of the situation.
“I am not opposed to people taking time, but I do think the system we have in place is pretty forgiving about those things. When it comes to, ‘oh, now I have to take my exam, I should get more [time]’—I mean, I don’t know, just come in and take a test. Then, if you need more than nine days in the second semester, come in and take your exam,” Armstrong said.
Both Armstrong and Grabowski placed heavy emphasis on giving support to the kids who need it but explained that the student population needing more than nine absences a semester is much smaller than expected.
“I treat Senior Skip Day as the same thing as the talk of like, senior, like—these things that have nostalgia and like almost like urban legend rooted around them,” Grabowski said. “I want you here, and [I want] a place that kids feel like they want to [be here].”
So the question still begs: Should the tradition be squashed to leave room for other excused absences?
Simply put, no. In today’s world of busy student sports, crazy clubs, competitive college visits and an endless list of other things, today’s teenagers are exhausted. So, yes, they may occasionally need a day off. In the rare case that a student may be in a crisis where they need extra support, the school ensures students will get the help they need. Ultimately, the tradition of Senior Skip Day itself isn’t the evil target to be concerned over.
Rather, it’s an individual decision for each student to determine whether it’s best for them to participate or not. The tradition itself, having its roots in nostalgia and rebellion, is a wonderful way to reward seniors for working hard throughout thirteen years of school, but some may find that their schedule suggests it may be better to just come in and have a normal day as well.
If a senior needs a day, they can take a day. If they take too many days, they more than likely understand the importance of missing large amounts of school. However, such a view can apply to anything in life.
In reality, whether it be students’ absences or not, most things are better in moderation.
