The Day article (Sunday June 9), “Students still missing in action,” about chronic absenteeism in high schools, looks at this issue backwards. We hapless citizens of Connecticut pay dearly for our schools, millions of dollars annually, the largest item in our town budget.

We provide qualified teachers for our students, a huge expense worth every penny. No one is begrudging the cost of education for the next generation. According to Terell Wright, there was an absenteeism level of 30% in 2022-23 at the high school my children went to (Fitch). With 1/3 of the students not there, we should need 1/3 less teachers, 1/3 less student supplies, 1/3 smaller schools. We are paying a very high price for an education system where so many students don’t show up, for whatever reason. We need to understand and overcome the reasons a student is not attending. I suggest we charge the parents whose youth skip school.

Evaluate the cost of one day’s education. Illness is excused with a doctor’s note; otherwise, parents get either a bill or a deduction from their subsidized government checks every time. This should help parents put pressure on their children to show how important education is. It’s their children’s future.

Alma Richards

Mystic