by Naomi Lawrence ’17

An unofficial “Senior Skip day” on Friday, February 24 resulted in 210 seniors, approximately 45 percent of the class, being marked absent from sixth period. Senior Skip days in the past have occured a few times during the second semester. While many seniors view the day as a fun experience, Sherwood’s administration has a different opinion.

While Principal Bill Gregory was told a rumor that the day might potentially happen, he is surprised at the significant number of students out that day and feels it is unfair seeing as how “teachers are working really hard to make sure there’s quality teaching.”

Gregory also pointed out that students must take responsibility for taking part in the skip day. “I feel that [students who cut] are making a decision that they don’t want to be part of the class,” said Gregory. Frustrated with the students who made that decision, Gregory expressed that skipping school is a serious safety issue, as students are expected to remain in school the entire day.

Consequences for such unexcused absences are not taken lightly, according to Gregory. “When students skip school, there are detentions and other types of consequences for that, in addition to zeroes or not being able to make up work that’s been missed.”

According to Sherwood’s attendance policy, a student who has five unexcused absences in a class per semester gets placed on an attendance intervention plan. If the student breaks the plan, they could potentially lose credit for the class. Other than following this policy, Sherwood administration is not taking any further action in response to the skip day.