WOODBURY-  At Nonnewaug, block days are an overwhelming problem for the majority of the students. Block days are 80 minute classes, where students must attend the whole class period.

This year, missing one block day will give you two absences instead of one. 

“I don’t find block days useful,” said Freshman Stella Stein. “If I’m ill and have a disease that can spread and put people in the hospital and I can’t come to school, that’s not my fault. I shouldn’t have to worry about missing one day of school counting as 2.” 

Missing days of school because students are sick is a recurring problem for many, and it is frustrating for students because they are getting punished for things they can not control.

Tyler Holtman agrees that being sick is something one should not be penalized for with two absences for one class.

“I don’t think block days counting as 2 absences are useful because people should be able to take some time off of school to go on vacation or if you’re sick and are in need of a day off,” Holtman says. “We shouldn’t have to worry about losing credit, I don’t think its fair because it only takes 5 block days to reach the maximum number of absences for a half year course.” 

Students are frightened by the thought of losing credit because of their absences. 

“I think this will affect students in a negative way,” Holtman adds, “because of block days having extremely long classes, there is double the work, the more school you miss the more work, and that affects your grades and your mindset.”

In the Nonnewaug week, the students experience block days 4 out of 5 days. If a student misses these 4 block days, it counts as 8 absences — But how can you miss more school days than there are days in the week?

Harper Vendt, a freshman at Nonnewaug, is one of many who experience the struggles of this disorderly rule. 

“No, I don’t think they are useful because if you miss like 4 days you’re already up to 8 absences and it’s annoying, if you’re sick, you can’t help that,” Vendt says. “They shouldn’t mark you absent twice for one class, it’s really not fair, it’s not like you’re skipping for fun.”

While many students see this as a negative concept, Joshua Kornblut, a Science teacher at Nonnewaug, sees this in a positive way. 

“I think it is useful because block days, like block periods, essentially are the length of 2 class periods,” says Kornblut. “And so, as a student if you’re missing the content or work of two periods, is what’s equal to 2 periods of work. So hopefully it helps the attendance. I mean of course things happen, you get sick, and teachers understand that. But attendance is important. I think because of this rule students will be absent less and hopefully have an urge to be here.”