Coachillin’: student-free days for coachella weekends could prevent huge losses in school funding
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is known for its amazing music and electrifying vibe, making it
the perfect place for a legendary weekend. Taking place on the second and third weekends of April, Coachella attracts many high schoolers over the span of two weekends. Since the festival starts on Fridays, students who choose to attend this festival will miss a day of school. At Peninsula, 484 students were absent on April 15 and 226 were absent on April 18. Unexcused absences cost Peninsula $49.10 in funding a day per student, so Peninsula lost over $35,000 each in funding for the two days involved, according to the Principal’s Update. Though the loss in funding should not be happening, perhaps instead of asking families to pay $50 per unexcused absence, having these two days as student-free days would be the better option for both students and school funding.
“I think the school should offer student free days for the Fridays of Coachella because it would be wise to dismiss people for going to Coachella and the school would not lose money,” junior and Coachella attendee Hutchins Hershberger said. “People are not going to stop going to Coachella. The school should recognize this present issue and not try to ignore the fact that absences will increase every year.”
According to The Wire, some schools have already taken measures to ensure that valuable educational days and funding are not wasted because of absences caused by Coachella. Crossroads School in Santa Monica has implemented “grading days” for its teachers during the Coachella weekends when students are not expected to come to school, and teachers can grade papers, prepare for finals or take time to review for Advanced Placement (AP) exams.
“After seeing the news on the Principal’s Update regarding the funding loss because of absences due to Coachella, I realized how much of an effect absences can have on the school,” sophomore Joey Tsang said.
“With that in mind, I am still considering attending Coachella next year because it is something I want to experience. Having a student free day during the Coachella Fridays would benefit both the school and the students, and I think that it would be a win-win situation for both the school and those who plan to attend Coachella.”
Some schools, such as Harvard-Westlake School and Brentwood School, have taken a slightly different stance on Coachella absences. They require parents to state that their kids will be missing school to attend Coachella. Those students will also serve a day of detention for each school day that they miss due to Coachella. Some teachers at schools mthat are still in session during the Coachella season, such as mSteve Klima at Palisades Charter High School, plan their lectures around Coachella’s schedule so that students do not miss anything major because they were attending the festival.
“I remember going to Coachella when I was a senior in high school. It is almost like a rite of passage to go to Coachella as a young adult who lives in Southern California,” Palisades Charter High School graduate Irene Lim said. “Though the absences were not excused and school was still in session, I would skip school for Coachella again if I had to. The wanderlust feeling that many high schoolers have will not keep them from going to Coachella just because of a detention or some extra homework. Instead, putting off days around Coachella as instructional free-days would probably be the best way to have students and the school be happy.”
