Mom shares how her son is getting docked for minutes at school and why it needs to stop

School rules are generally meant to help children develop responsibility and organizational skills. However, sometimes these rules can go too far, potentially doing more harm than good. In some cases, they set unrealistic standards that make it harder for kids to find a healthy balance. One mom, Jackie Santillan—known as @kindminds_smartheads on Threads—shared her frustration over her son’s school's strict attendance policies, where students are penalized for missing even a few minutes of class.

"My son's school district has an attendance policy that penalizes you for missing *minutes* of the day. If you leave an hour early for an appointment, you will be docked for that hour. How are we supposed to teach our kids that their personal lives and physical and mental health are important with these types of rules?" the mom wondered. In one of the comments, she clarified, "I am not entirely sure, but they tally the minutes, hours, and days up and there are potential court situations." Santillan also added, "I am a former teacher and yes. It's definitely tied to funding. I guess my point is, it shouldn't be."

The mom was not the only one who thought such a thing was unnecessary. Many people took to the comments to share how this was like preparing a child to accept a toxic work culture. @sashaknits wrote, "Attendance awards and penalties are bulls**t. In the UK, adults get paid sick leave and plenty of it. At my last job, I had six months of paid sick leave per year. I had a traumatic brain injury about eight years ago and I used it every single day. Guess what? My employer was kind and accommodating. I started back part-time and worked my way up to full-time over many months. Kids get sick, they get tired, they get overwhelmed. Nobody should expect 100% attendance. It's completely unrealistic."

@carolmama15 commented, "That is absolutely bonkers! My kids have therapy and other appointments constantly. If they were tracked for how many minutes they were gone, they would be severely punished. I would be fighting with them for sure." @tabortotmama remarked, "So ridiculous. My kids' school is doing this attendance 'challenge' thing for September. It's dumb. Kids get sick. Doctor and dentist appointments happen."

@sashaknits pointed out, "I've heard of schools who enter all children with attendance above a certain amount (say 90%) into a prize draw and one (or a few) names are picked for a little prize (e.g., a gift voucher). I don't mind that as much because it isn't all high-attendance kids getting something. But I hate it when there's a hard cut-off that makes a very obvious us versus them and the high attendees all get a massive prize/treat. It's so distasteful." @mykiw shared, "In my state, school funding is tied to attendance. I'm betting your child's school doesn't want to promote a toxic work culture, they are just underfunded and trying to maximize any monies they can get from the state."