"I think it's a good idea not to have the certificates, because there is that tension not to stay home if you're not feeling good," parent Larisa Sweetman said.
Bridgewater-Raritan is just one of several New Jersey school systems taking this step in the wake of concerns about the spread of the swine flu virus.
"I am in complete agreement," school physician Dr. Ronald Frank said. "The kids are under so much pressure. And with the rate of absenteeism we've seen in the district, the perfect attendance award really doesn't make much sense right now."
In fact, Dr. Fank says he'd like to see attendance rewards done away with permanently.
"H1N1 is not the only infection we need to be worried about," he said. "The same could be said for, you know, someone could have strep throat, the regular flu, gastrointestinal illnesses, those things do happen."
Anne Marie Derogati and her daughter Brittany also support the suspension of attendance rewards.
"I think it's a good idea," Anne Marie said. "You don't want kids coming to school sick."
Some systems have only frozen their perfect attendance reward policies through the end of the school year. They'll decide whether to extend the freeze later.
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WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
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