There have been a lot of hot topics addressed throughout the years concerning issues in education.
One can open the paper or a magazine any day of the week and see debates involving Common Core, charter schools and adequate funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Opponents and proponents of these issues can supply parents and educators long lists as to how these issues impact our children’s education. The debates rage on and will continue to rage on in the future as we as a society try to decide what is best in properly educating our children. These debates are necessary and understandable. Our children are our future, and we must make sure our educational systems provide the best opportunities for all students to learn.
Throughout all the debates as to how school districts should provide our students an education, there is a key and critical indicator of academic success which our legislators and even our state board of education have no control over. The control of this indicator of success lies solely in the hands of the parents and guardians of our children. The critical factor that directly impacts our children’s education on a day to day basis is school attendance.
The statistics and information on the effect of good school attendance is real and staggering. According to attendanceworks.org a child who just misses 10 percent (or about 18 days) a school year has a harder time learning to read. Students may even fall behind if they just miss a day or two days every few weeks of school. This information shouldn’t surprise anyone. School systems cannot educate children if the children are not there to educate. Legislators cannot make a child go to school. The school system cannot make a child go to school. It is the responsibility of the parents and guardians of children to make sure students attend school on a regular basis especially when a child is younger.
If the precedent is set for good attendance when a child is younger, this pattern of behavior will more often than not follow the student during their high school years.
Understandably, there are times when a student cannot attend school; when a child is sick or when there is a family emergency such as a death in a family. The student’s health and emotional well-being need to be addressed. We have a moral obligation to care for our children and protect the health of other children when these instances occur. However, there should be no issue as to when parents need to send children to school.
If a student is not sick or there is not a family emergency, then the student should be in school.

By Shari Franklin