With a parking lot half empty and teachers submitting blank attendance sheets, the halls were empty of seniors. On October 18th, the senior class decided to take a skip day after Homecoming Weekend. Their decision was not enjoyed by the teachers, and a misunderstanding of what an official skip day looks like ensued.

“After homecoming weekend, it seemed like everyone was really tired out,” Armi Mubeen, student body president, said. “I was told to email Mr. Goldwasser informing the administration of the skip. I didn’t know that the administration doesn’t necessarily allow skip days. He told me to make sure everyone [who skips] to get called out.”

Since the skip day was decided the night before, many teachers were upset. They felt that it was bad timing and not an official skip day.

“‘Are you kidding me?’ Was exactly my reaction,” English teacher Jennifer Hartigan said. “The first word of it I got from students was that it was school approved. So, I talked to Dr. Griffith [about if it was approved], and he said no. Then I was just mad.”

Teachers weren’t just upset about the timing and lack of approval. They were upset that students chose October for their first skip day.

“This is the very beginning of the school year still,” Hartigan said. “Nobody has, for the most part, turned in college applications. In order to do things like have a skip day, you have to have proven yourselves and you have to gone through the hoops.”

Senior Aditya Kondepudi was one of the students who decided to participate in the skip day. He chose to spend his skip day working on college applications and other work.

“I think they offer a good break for our seniors,” Kondepudi said. “I didn’t want to go to school because I felt as though I could do more work at home than I could do at school.”

Mubeen agrees that skip days are needed in order to allow seniors to have a day to rest and get their lives together.

“Skip days are a beloved part of the senior culture, so I’m not opposed to them,” Mubeen said. “I think they’re necessary because sometimes, after long and stressful weekends, people need an extra break.”

Teachers are not necessarily opposed to skip days either. Many understand the benefits that come from them. Hartigan explains that they must be earned and appropriate timing.

“I think once you’ve done your job, we can start talking about [a skip day],” Hartigan said. “Until you have done the things that need to be done, you should be here in school, particularly after the last year and a half where there’s a lot of holes and teachers are working hard to close some of those gaps for people.”