It hasn’t been long since school started for a young Ohio girl, but unfortunately, she’s already gotten sick. And her mother, who goes by Granby on Reddit, is worried about more than just her child’s health. Her daughter had contracted influenza last year around the same time, which cost her several days of excused absence. However, Granby’s is concerned that “even though a doctor’s note is excused as of this year, it will still count against the child. So really it is unexcused.”
As of September 2025, Ohio law labels a student chronically absent after they’ve missed at least 10% of the minimum amount of time required in a school year. Granby’s reason for being upset is valid, considering both excused and unexcused absences contribute to chronic absenteeism for her student. However, a notable discrepancy in the law is crucial to distinguish here.
While excused days due to a medical condition might count toward chronic absenteeism, they do not count as habitual truancy. Still, Granby says it’s wrong that everything counts toward her daughter’s chronic absenteeism. “They will send you a letter laying out all the things that could happen, up to and including suspending the parents’ driver’s license,” she remarked.
On top of racking up chronic absences, Granby also feels getting a doctor’s note for every instance her daughter gets sick is ridiculous. Not to mention, documenting everything, even with insurance, can become rather expensive. “I get they are trying to combat chronic absenteeism, but as with everything, they are overcorrecting,’ expressed Granby.
Reddit Support the Ohio Mother and Her Demand for Change
On top of sympathy for the sick daughter, many Redditors rallied with Granby and her concerns. “That’s ridiculous. Of course you can’t send a child to school when they’re that sick! You’re doing the right thing and the school needs to rethink what they’re doing,” exclaimed a commenter. A second user chimed in the replies, saying that it’s “another way to destroy public education.”
“It’s so ironic that Ohio law allows families to home educate with only a letter of intent to do so each year, but a public school kid can’t miss for more than 13 days if they’re sick,” added a third. “A lot of states are doing similar things. It’s because attendance is directly related to school funding. It’s ridiculous,” pointed out a fourth.
In the end, Granby can’t do much about the law for her daughter but vote, and she says she’s already done her part to push for change. Democrat Amy Acton is a medical doctor who Granby believes is someone who can turn things around, commenting, “She has my vote.”
