Students harmed if they miss first day
Amid the discussions of school funding and boycotts, what's missing is the importance of first day of school for a child.
As pediatricians, school nurses, and other health care professionals working with school children, we strongly encourage families to make attendance at school a priority.
We recognize the need for each and every student in Illinois to have access to a quality education and that inequalities do exist. However, missing school - especially the crucial first day - creates more problems than solutions.
Most students begin the school year with anxious feelings about what to expect in the coming year.
Missing the first day means those students are a step behind the rest of their fellow students.
Unlike the rest of their class, they will be challenged to meet the other students, select their seats, find their lockers, and become familiar with schedules absent the guidance students receive on the first day.
They miss out on meeting their teachers and listening to their expectations for the year.
The school misses out on the collection of critical forms such as emergency contact and health information forms that are necessary for safe care throughout the school year.
As pediatricians and health care professionals, we work to ensure that students are healthy so they will not be chronically absent due to health conditions, family stresses, and other factors.
The impact of school absence on a child's health and mental health can be devastating. Encouraging or condoning missing school is simply not a good idea.
There is no second opportunity to experience the "first day of school."
Pediatricians and school nurses urge parents and other community members to send a strong message to students: Education and attendance at school is important.
Cynthia Jane Mears
Chair, Committee on School Health
Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Linda Gibbons
Member, Committee on School Health
Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Jennie Pinkwater
Project Director, Prevention Projects
Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Chicago