Is ‘skip day’ a school-sanctioned rite of passage?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/06/2016 (3637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many families, June means graduation ceremonies, which comes with many rites and rituals.

Six years ago I experienced the phenomenon known as ‘skip day’. For those of you who aren’t familiar, ‘skip day’ occurs during the final days of high school, when whole classes of students decide not to show up on a particular day.  

When I first learned about this rite of passage — or as I really believe it to be, this way to drive parents insane — I was aghast.

Growing up in Jamaica, I had no exposure to such blatant disregard for the rules of the high school I attended. I dared not risk getting the cane at school and then again at home. It was the nature of the culture back then.

In 2010, the school sent notice to parents informing us of this practice. They went further to state categorically they do not endorse such an act and consequently will not be held responsible for the safety of our children in the event they met with some tragedy.  

I checked in with our older son and sure enough, he confirmed that he and his peers had no intention of showing up for classes on the day in question. I was shocked and of course went into all the reasons why he would not be participating in such an “illegal act’.”

Then, on the morning of skip day, the entire school was covered in toilet paper. Every nook and cranny was toilet-papered and to this day no one has taken responsibility for this act.
Fast forward six years later, it is 2016 and I have received the dreaded skip day warning from our younger son’s school.

Of course, the school categorically denies endorsing this day and says it is not responsible should any ill befall our child.

So I checked with our son who informed me (deja vu) that yes, he and his peers are indeed planning on not showing up for classes on the day in question. My husband and I let out a collective moan of “when will this end?!”

Of course, we did the requisite parenting, encouraging him to make the right choice.

After speaking with a few other parents who are in the same boat, it dawned on me that the school is basically endorsing skip day.

When I look back to my first experience of it, the school was basically laying the groundwork for the students to skip. The conditions six years ago and today are ripe for skipping — all substitute teachers are brought in for the day, there are no major assignments or tests on that day nor are any due. To top it off, the school makes a public announcement about skip day — well in advance of the day… hmm?

I acknowledge the desire to create memorable moments, especially upon leaving high school.
My question is — will the schools come clean and let us parents in on the true intent of skip day?

Phyllis Reid-Jarvis is a director and executive coach at Ultimate Potentials. Contact her at living@ultimatepotentials.com