The struggle of sickness for students

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that annually, 22 million sick days are taken solely from the common cold. Students at Lind-Ritzville High School (LRHS), like other students across the nation, are experiencing the struggle of maintaining good health, an arduous battle against absences that, when successful, allows students to participate in learning and sustain focus on academics.

Many students have heard the expression from teachers, “If you miss school, you miss out.”

The LRHS Student Handbook states simply, “Regular school attendance is necessary for mastery of the educational program provided to students of the district.”

Data from several studies supports this correlation. H. Paul LeBlanc III, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio conducted a research study to find the “relationship between attendance and grades in the college classroom.”

LeBlanc explained, “Results indicated that attendance significantly influences test score averages for students across sections and institutions.”

LRHS students testify to the truth behind the research.

Student Peyton Curtis said, “The hardest part about missing school is trying to get caught up. I mean, it’s hard to stay caught up without being sick, but then you have to work extra hard!”

Student Tara Tellefson agreed, “The hardest part <about missing school> is when you get back and you have so much work that is missing.”

As helpful as the benefits of being at school are, sickness combats the learning process.

“It is harder to learn because normally when I’m sick, I have a headache and just can’t concentrate or focus on work,” said student Hawk Busayok. “ end up with the same amount of homework if I just didn’t go.”

Similarly, Curtis added, “I think it is harder to learn when you are sick because you get mentally drained and tired… Learning wouldn’t be your top priority, so it’s a lot harder to focus.”

Unfortunately, the frequency of sickness in schools, LRHS or otherwise, is unsurprising. Germs are found in common places, and are easily spread.

The National Science Foundation conducted research to find the “germiest places at schools” and concluded that the highest concentration of Colony Forming Units (CFU) per square inch of aerobic bacteria, at 2.7 million, was on a classroom water spigot.

Trailing by several million CFU per square inch was a cafeteria water fountain spigot.

Other classroom items, in order of bacteria concentration, included plastic reusable cafeteria trays, cold water faucet handles, warm water faucet handles, cafeteria plates, classroom keyboards, toilet seats, a student’s hand and a class pet’s animal cage.

The ease at which germs are spread also lends to the frequency of sickness in schools. Prior to a 2014 research study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), it was widely accepted that germs from a sneeze could travel up to 30 feet from the infected individual.

Research from the MIT study reveals “the smaller droplets that emerge in a cough or sneeze may travel five to 200 times further than they would if those droplets simply moved as groups of unconnected particles — which is what previous estimates had assumed.”

The study added, “The tendency of these droplets to stay airborne, resuspended by gas clouds, means that ventilation systems may be more prone to transmitting potentially infectious particles than had been suspected.”

With the benefits of staying healthy weighed against the odds that a student will actually become sick, the question of how to prevent sickness remains.

The answer is by no means revolutionary, but widely ignored (in a study by Initial Washroom Hygiene, 62 percent of men and 40 percent of women admitted they don’t regularly): hand washing.

The National Science Foundation concluded, “Since bacteria and viruses can live for more than two days on many surfaces, it’s important to protect yourself… The best way is through proper and frequent handwashing. Proper handwashing involves thorough scrubbing of hands under warm water with soap for a full 20 seconds before rinsing and drying with a clean towel.”