In recent weeks, Benilde-St. Margaret’s students have noticed an increase in sickness among their peers. From colds to coughs, and more severe cases, this wave of sickness seems to be spreading faster than students can handle while staying on top of school work and extracurriculars. As colder weather settles in, many students are left wondering why sickness seems to be more widespread this year.
63% of students have observed a noticeable increase in illness spreading throughout BSM’s hallways. From lingering coughs to more viral infections, this wave of sickness has become significantly difficult to avoid, especially as 71.7% of kids still attend school while being sick. “In comparison to last year, I feel like far more students are sick. I always see multiple students out of class. In every period, there is at least one or two not there. I see a full class once every blue moon,” senior Jeremiah Johnson said.
Balancing schoolwork while also battling a sickness has become very difficult for 58.7% of students this year. Missing even a day or two can leave students feeling overwhelmed and swamped with homework, but attending school while being sick often means struggling to focus and perform well. “I also play a sport for BSM, and it’s kind of hard to keep up in class and with schoolwork when you’re dealing with things like headaches and fatigue, or whatever illnesses you’re battling,” junior Christin Gilmer said.
While schoolwork is obviously demanding, it’s important to recognize that some illnesses can spread from lack of sleep and stress-related factors that are connected to mental health. Studies show that stress weakens the body’s immune system, making it harder for your body to refight off infections.” The amount of schoolwork and just the constant pile of it keeps on digging at me, so I am overwhelmed a lot. Especially when I don’t get enough sleep because I’m up late trying to turn in assignments or study for every class,” Johnson said.
Since the end of COVID-19, schools in general have scaled back on sanitization practices that once reduced the spread of germs. With fewer cleaning measures in an environment like a school, where we share most spaces with one another, it seems this could be contributing to the rise in sickness. “I think bringing back regular cleaning practices we had during the COVID era when everyone was extra cautious, could help lower how much students are getting sick. Just because COVID is gone, we still need to be safe, especially in a school environment,” senior Bella Stevonson-Shimek said.
There have also been concerns about how the school handles sickness, especially when it comes to attendance policy. Encouraging students to come to school when they are sick can have negative consequences, and puts their peers at risk for catching the virus. “While I understand some people abuse privileges, incentivizing coming to school when you’re sick, the entire class is now prone to being sick,” Gilmer said.