Keeping kids in school during cold and flu season can be challenging, but one Tennessee school district developed what it thought was an innovative solution:
The district passed a new policy decreeing that children who miss school due to illness — even with a doctor’s note — will not receive an excused absence.
Additionally, the district warned that even as few as three absences total could lead to consequences that could include truancy court.
The policy, put into place in the summer of 2025 by the Lawrence County Board of Education, was said to be in response to the district’s “chronic absenteeism,” but not everyone was a fan of the decision.
One woman took to TikTok, complaining that the school district wanted to create 'factory workers' who 'won't complain like their parents.'
After public outcry, the school district walked back on their decision.
The school district’s controversial decision had made national headlines and garnered a petition of over 3,000 parents signing in support of the board reversing the decision.
In August, shortly before school started, the board did just that.
They voted to reinstate doctors’ notes as excused absences, although they kept their decision to refer parents to truancy court after eight unexcused absences.
“We have listened to the community and we have made some adjustments to the attendance policies,” a board chairman told the crowd at the meeting.
“If they really wanted to cut back on sick days they should feed the children better food and give them more time to eat,” observed a commenter on Jill’s original video.
“We coulda built any society, by the way,” quipped another. “All of this was voluntary.”
