Prom is a night many students look forward to. For students at Ida B. Wells, there are only two chances to go; Junior Prom and Senior Prom, so each prom is very important to a student’s high school experience. However, recent restrictions have been placed that state students must have 85% attendance for Quarter 2, which means no more than 9 days can be missed, and this rule includes excused absences. For students with health problems, family emergencies, obligations outside of school, mental health problems, unreliable transportation, and many other reasons, this rule could take away one of the most exciting nights of the year. The school states this rule has been placed to raise GPA and attendance rates, however this may make students feel lost and disengaged from school. If they already feel excluded from prom, what is the point in keeping up good attendance? This is exactly the kind of thing that can lower a student’s GPA. On top of that, this rule had come into effect before it was announced, which is really unfair because there is was no warning.

Not only does this restriction exclude many students, but it will decrease prom ticket sales, meaning less revenue will be made this year opposed to years before. This is a problem because a portion of the prior year’s ticket sales goes to the upcoming prom, which means prom 2025 would have less funding. As a junior, I would be really sad to see funding issues complicating my senior prom.

Prom is for everyone, regardless of whatever a student is going through. It is unfair for administration to threaten prom on the basis of poor attendance which is usually not due to lack of care or intelligence, but because of personal struggles that the school seemingly does not understand nor care to. This policy targets students who are already going through their own problems, which enforces a message that students’ problems don’t matter to the school. Revoking a night to let go of stress and connect with peers is not a fair or acceptable way to try to raise attendance rates and GPA.