By Kaity Kempf | LTVN Managing Editor
I think we can all admit that March 2020 was a scary time. From that point forward, things changed, even when quarantine shifted to “back to normal.”
COVID-19 is still around. Many say to move on from it, but how can one move on from something that actually instilled extremely beneficial precedents?
The precedent in question? Valuing people’s health, specifically that of students.
There used to be a time when, regardless of whether a student had COVID-19 or not, they did not have to go to classes if they felt sick. And why should they? It’s not fair to the student or their fellow classmates and professors.
During the pandemic, all parties understood the importance of taking sick days. Now, however, the attendance policy is back in place. But the fact is, COVID-19 isn’t the only illness that’s easily transmissible.
Flu season is upon us, and what’s a better reason to not go to class than to be sick with the flu? Another worry is the norovirus — also known as the stomach flu — that occurs most frequently during late fall, winter and early spring. While non-student, full-time employees are able to rely on sick leave for the next couple months, students must hope that they don’t get sick for longer than a couple of days.
Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences requires that students attend 75% of all scheduled class meetings. This means that students are only allowed to miss seven to 10 class days, depending on when the class meets. If this is the case and a student is sick for five days (the required number of quarantine days), then a lot of the student’s allotted time away from class is used. If you’re a student who is unlucky enough to get sick, forget about taking off any day, whether it’s for an emergency or your cousin’s wedding.
The attendance policy is obviously in place for a reason. Students need to receive the information taught in class to comprehend and pass a course. But the no-tolerance policy is unacceptable. Hybrid classes are a great resource for sick students to get all the information they need while recovering and keeping others safe. Many of the available resources, like Zoom, were neglected after the frenzy of the pandemic passed. It’s time we improve how we do things, rather than moving on and forgetting about COVID-19.