Is period pain a valid reason to miss school? | Join the conversation

Marcus Alleyne’s daughter called in sick, but the school found the absence illegal when they found out it was menstrual cramps. Therefore, her omission was labeled as ‘unauthorized’.

Compulsory education

In the Netherlands there is compulsory education, which means that children between the ages of 5 and 16 must attend compulsory education. If they are absent without a valid reason, this constitutes unauthorized absence, which is not allowed. A valid reason to be absent from school is illness. This is therefore a matter of lawful absenteeism from school, the central government describes.

It is not specified how much sick leave is allowed. However, a school in the Netherlands can report to the attendance officer if they suspect that there is actually unauthorized absence from school instead of illness.

Period

In 2019, a study by Radboudumc showed that one in three women cannot function normally due to menstrual pain. These women suffer from severe abdominal cramps, back pain or migraines as a result of their menstruation. This severe pain can also be a reason for school-aged young women not to go to school. They then call in sick.

A menstrual cycle lasts an average of 28 days. Menstruation itself lasts two to eight days. The duration is different for every woman, but the pain can also last for days. This would mean that young women, who have a lot of pain every month, also miss a lot of school during the sick leave. As a result, they may fall behind in learning.

Opinions

The teacher of this Twitter user thinks absenteeism due to menstrual pain is unfair and believes that men should be allowed to ‘invent’ a valid reason to stay at home. The Twitterer himself disagrees.

These women recognize the severe pain during menstruation and indicate that they would like to stay at home at such a time.

Join the conversation

Do you think period pain is a valid reason to miss school? Or do you think you should just go to school because otherwise you could fall behind too much? Join the conversation through our Facebook page!

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