Good Excuses for Missing School

What are Good Excuses for Missing School?

Schools often award students who have perfect attendance all year long, but it's far more common to miss a day here and there for legitimate reasons. While it is important to attend school whenever possible, you should be prepared to offer the best excuse when you are forced to be absent. With a good excuse, you will be able to obtain makeup work from your instructor. Avoid lying and stick to the truth so that you won't find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.

Many excuses for missing school are needed at the middle school and high school levels, when missing class needs a valid excuse to be appropriately approved in advance. While we often use excuses for day-to-day absences, there are many acceptable reasons for missing class. Skipping school and skipping classes during the school day should never be encouraged, and those who do regularly, without proper excuses, often face truancy court. Missing class should be a last resort if it is essentially needed. Give your school or school administrators a phone call to prepare them for your absence, or let them know of your tardy status so that you won’t have to face multiple unexcused absences in your record.

Sickness

Individuals often miss school because they are ill. If you are just missing one class, then you can explain your brief sickness to your teacher. If you miss several classes, then you may need to obtain a note from your doctor in order to receive an excused absence. People can experience a variety of ailments, and this excuse is generally acceptable by folks in the school system because it is so common.

Other sickness or medical related absences can result from doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, or other needs, like a sick day which may need other medical appointments. However, a doctor’s note is almost always needed as proof of your excused absence the next day.

Family Emergency

The excuse of having a "family emergency" can actually cover a few different situations. You can say you have a family emergency if a family member is hospitalized or in an accident. Funerals are also a legitimate excuse for an absence.

If you are using this excuse for a legitimate circumstance, you can usually get verification from a physician at the hospital (for a sick family member) or you can obtain a newspaper clipping of an obituary (for a death). This excuse usually only applies to immediate family, but it can be adjusted per family situation.

Holiday With Family

Many parents like to take their children on vacations during the school year. As long as the parents contact the school officials, this family vacation excuse can be used with the administration.

Parents often explain these holidays as being once in a lifetime events, and they say that the holidays help to enrich the life of the student. If your family is planning a trip of this nature, you can use it as a good excuse for missing school.

Personal Reasons

Sometimes you do not need to use the excuse of being sick or out of town; instead, you can list personal reasons for your absence. Perhaps your parents are going through a divorce, and your home life is in upheaval. In such a circumstance, you can be excused for missing school. If you are a college student, you can use personal reasons as an excuse if you are in the middle of a difficult break-up or other such emotional life-altering situations.

These personal days can also be used for jury duty notices, religious holidays, babysitting children - like a little sister, job interviews, car troubles, or mental health days. Bad weather may be used as an excuse, if you physically cannot make it to school to complete the full day of school.