New Zealand is cracking down on school attendance. Is it missing the bigger picture?

Marty Melville/Getty Images Each morning, thousands of parents across New Zealand make the same tricky judgement call: is their child well enough to go to school? There are now concerns this decision might become yet more difficult, as a government drive to lift attendance puts schools under greater pressure to address absenteeism. Under new targets, 80% of students are expected to attend school more than 90% of the time by 2030. Schools are also now required to have attendance management…