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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A new policy in Lawrence County, Tennessee, is putting pressure on parents to send their kids to school even when they are sick.
According to the Lawrence County School System (LCSS), the policy’s aim is to improve attendance within the district. Doctor’s notes will no longer be valid as an excuse to miss school. As the new school year is set to begin, parents have been informed that all students will simply be marked present or absent.
The district attempted to get local doctors on board by sending them a letter that said that providing medical notes for two or more days might persuade students to stay home instead of going to school. LCSS also asked medical providers in the community to “emphasize the importance of regular school attendance while treating school-aged patients.”
Lawrence County Schools will begin intervention for absenteeism after just three absences. After eight absences, and no cooperation between students, parents and the school, a referral will be made to the Lawrence County Juvenile Court for truancy.
Early checkouts and tardiness will accumulate into days being marked absent with three tardies or three early checkouts considered an absence.
High school students with more than ten consecutive absences, fifteen absences in any one semester, or twenty-four absences in total for an academic year risk losing their driver’s license or permit. Seniors who have fourteen absences will not be permitted to graduate.
During last month’s LCSS school board meeting, Director of Schools Michael Adkins stated that it was “fine” for students to attend school while sick, and that as adults they would have to go to work with the “sniffles.”
“You are going to have them when you go to work one day. We have all gone to work sick and hurt and beat up,” said Adkins.
Community response to the policy has not been positive, prompting the district to release a six-page letter in rebuttal to the concerns of parents.
In the letter, LCSS cites the state’s compulsory attendance law that requires all children between 6 and 17 to attend school, with attendance mandated by school districts. According to the law, public schools are required to report using only two categories: Present or Absent.
While notes from parents or doctors may explain an absence at the school level, it is still reported as absent. A student who misses ten percent of the school year, which amounts to eighteen days, is considered to be “chronically absent” regardless of the reason.
Some absences are allowed to be exempted, these include a death in the family, a chronic illness that has been verified by a medical provider, religious observances, school-endorsed activities, court subpoenas, or circumstances over which the student has not control which are at the discretion of the school principal.
According to LCSS, the district had over a thousand chronically absent students in the 2024-2025 school year. With the average of 19 days per month of school, students missing ten percent of instructional days equates to a month of lost learning.
The district insisted that they are not asking families to send children to school while battling illness.
“We ARE asking families to ensure students attend school when they are well, even if they “don’t want to go” or “don’t feel like it today,”” stated LCSS, who encouraged parents to return children to school after routine medical appointments that are scheduled during the school day.
“These interventions are meant to help – not to scare or penalize,” wrote LCSS. “If a student has missed days due to an acute illness, ongoing medical issue, family emergency, etc., the tiered approach allows for open communication, cooperation among school and family, and the family would not be referred to truancy court.”
While LCSS is promising open communication, we have reported before on a case of truancy where the parent was not made aware that her child was truant until she tried to register her for homeschool instead.
A Coffee County Judge with a reputation for being biased against homeschooling trampled on parental rights when he order the student back to public school.
General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Gerald Ewell, Jr. told the student that he could send her away and that “homeschool is no school” and told the parents that they could be found guilty of violating the Compulsory School Attendance Law.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
