LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Respiratory viruses are causing a lot of valley students to stay home sick. Parents with students attending schools outside their residential zone voiced their concerns about Clark County School District's attendance policy.
"They had fevers. I can't send my kids to school with fevers," said CCSD parent Rebecca Garcia.
Garcia's son was on the verge of getting kicked out of his magnet program for missing too many days of school because he was sick with a stomach ailment.
"It's just really hard because you want your child at school where they are thriving and doing well, but at the same time, if your child is sick, they don't belong in school," she said.
Parents say absences for everything from flu to RSV or other illnesses need a long-term recovery that exceeds the days allowed in the Clark County Change of School Assignment (COSA) contract. The contract is an agreement parents sign when sending their student to a CCSD school outside their residential zone. For students to stay enrolled, they cannot miss more than 10 excused or unexcused days.
"What's really frustrating as a parent is that it's these particular students that are being targeted," said a CCSD parent. "In any given school it can be 10 or 20 kids that are on COSA and if they get sent back to their home schools or zoned schools because of this, it's not going to improve attendance anywhere."
Parents have taken to social media to complain 10 days is not enough.
"Between RSV, strep, and COVID and all different forms of viruses that seem to be rampant right now, so many parents don't want to send their kid sick to get other kids sick. But when the child is absent, they start getting communications from schools that aren't always very friendly," said Garcia.
The State of Nevada Department of Education sets the absentee policy. Absenteeism was tracked across the state, and students' success rate is measured by the total percentage of students who are absent for more than 10 percent of their enrolled days.
"We need to make it a policy that encourages attendance and wellness."
