Perfect attendance is a nice thought, but is it really something worth rewarding? According to Bertram Rantin's column in the June 4 edition of The State newspaper, 236 Lexington- Richland 5 fifth graders were given new bicycles and helmets for perfect attendance. It was part of a challenge issued by some local businessmen.

I have no doubt the challenge was well intentioned, but it does bring to mind several questions. Maybe I misunderstood, but I got the impression from the column these children got to decide whether they were going to go school or not during the past year. So my first question is this…since when does a fifth grader decide whether he or she wants to go to school? Maybe I'm out of touch or maybe these kids are mature beyond their years, but I'm of the belief parents, not children, get to decide when or if their kids go to school on any given day.

This challenge might be appropriate for a college kid or even some high school students, but elementary school children shouldn't get motivation from a potential two- wheeled reward. Their motivation should come from a love of school, or, if we're being a little less idealistic, a fear of parents.

The second issue arising from this challenge is health. I find it hard to believe these 236 kids made it through an entire year of elementary school without getting sick. Elementary schools are like green houses for viruses, bacteria, and a multitude of other nasty little germs. Unless these children had immune systems stronger than Ryan Seacrest's hair gel, then they had to get sick at least once during the school year.

So if they went to school with the sniffles or a slight fever or a stomachache, chances are they infected four to five of their classmates with one misplaced sneeze. That means, while each of these 236 kids was potentially slugging Pepto Bismol or popping Advil Cold and Sinus tablets to mask symptoms and stay in the hunt for a bike, each of those 236 children was infecting four or five of their fifth grade buddies. Those are the ones that didn't get bikes.

The fact that businessmen sponsored this challenge is puzzling to me. I help run a business. If one of our employees is sick, I want them to stay home. Sick employees create more sick employees and before long, the office looks like a MASH unit or an empty warehouse. Either way, not much is getting done. School isn't any different, especially if the teacher happens to step in front of that misplaced sneeze.

When I was an elementary school student, kids with perfect attendance were the ones whose parents couldn't (or wouldn't) get a babysitter. They were also the ones that puked in the middle of story time. I was one of those kids, and I didn't get a bike. I got several dustings of vermiculite and many nasty looks from parents tired of having to pay for trips to the doctor and various bottles of antibiotics for their own children.