Recently, the U.S. has seen many problems relating to education, a few examples being learning loss, enrollment, and discipline/student behavior. And ever since the pandemic in 2020, absenteeism, also known as chronic absences, has increased in the classroom. According to a New York Times podcast, absenteeism is when a student misses at least 10% of the entire school year. The reasons for these missed school days vary. For students from families with a higher income, school is often missed because of vacations or trips. On the other hand, students from low-income families miss school due to working jobs, not having transportation, or babysitting younger siblings. Overall, the pandemic has caused many students and families to become desensitized to not going to school.

After COVID-19, being absent from school does not seem like too big of a deal, especially since many assignments can be done online now. However, there are many overlooked consequences of missing too many school days. For example, many fundamental skills, like communication and critical thinking, are learned and refined while in class or when students are outside during break and lunch. Some think making up work online is sufficient enough, but remote learning doesn’t teach any minor skills like standing in a line, asking a teacher for help in person, or even just saying ‘thank you.’  Not only this, students who do not attend school regularly also affect the learning of children who are rarely absent. This is because teachers often have to slow down the learning process for those who were absent the previous day. 

In conclusion, ever since the lockdown during COVID-19, both parents and students have become apathetic to missing school,  creating long-term consequences for both the schools and children.