‘Tis the season of sickness, and PVHS is no exception. Illnesses such as the norovirus, flu, COVID-19 and mononucleosis have been making their way through the halls as students neglect CDC recommendations for quarantine and prevention.
Norovirus can remain contagious for two or more weeks after someone stops exhibiting symptoms. However, Students at PV are returning to school as soon as 12 hours after they begin to feel better. These habits contribute to the spread of these sicknesses and create an unsafe learning environment.
Senior Arielle Johnson is concerned by the number of sick and contagious students in the halls. “It is important to respect others and recognize that coming to school contagious can have a negative impact on students, teachers, and families. It can also create a dangerous environment that could easily be prevented by simply staying home,” Johnson said.
However, due to PV’s rigorous academics, many students feel as though they have no choice but to return to classes as soon as possible. Staying out of school for the recommended amount of time is not feasible for most students.
Senior Jacqueline Anderson has missed multiple weeks of school because of migraines and voiced concerns for the lack of accommodations for absent students. “It’s not fair to make students choose between their well-being and their grades. If someone doesn’t feel good they should have the ability to stay home and rest. The academic pressures put on students make it difficult for us to prioritize ourselves,” Anderson said.
It is unreasonable to ask students to stay home for as long as they are contagious when there is a high probability they will be behind upon their return. Sickness likely continues to spread at PV because of the school’s commitment to excellence, which makes missing significant amounts of school impossible for students looking to maintain their grades.
Students shouldn’t have to choose between the health of their peers and their own grades. Senior Dana Ballenger was faced with this choice, and decided to put health and safety first. “I missed 12 days of school last semester because I was sick. Being at home sick isn’t a vacation, I’m not spending my time hanging out with friends or doing my homework, I’m trying to recover,” Ballenger explained. “You can’t control when you’re going to be sick and you shouldn’t be punished or have your grades suffer because of it.”
Students return to school while still sick or contagious and continue to spread viruses, putting their friends and peers at risk because they don’t have a choice. After missing more than a few days of school, it’s too difficult to catch up and for many students, falling behind is not an option.
