MORRISON, Ill. — Hard work is paying off for student presenters participating in the open swine judging competition at the Whiteside County Fair—at least for the ones that could be here.
"They've worked all year on their live stock and that training and being able to come show it is a part of their summer and their events," Christina Mitchell, a local attending the show, said.
A handful of young presenters are benefitting from the near-year-old law, HB3814, that allows them to attend 4-H and FFA program-based events without schools marking them absent.
"For these kids to be here for these projects, [it's] super important," Alyssa Miller, a junior livestock exhibitor said. "Because not only are they putting the time in at home, this is their time to show these projects off and show how well they've done and what they've gained."
This time of the year used to be a stressful for presenters.
"It's always a pain because you're running back and forth and kids ever really got to enjoy their home county fair," Miller added.
While schools aren't penalizing students, children are still spending time away from the classroom.
"Some kids don't like to miss school because they go for that perfect attendance," Mitchell explained.
Some families hope the school district can make some adjustments to support students.
"They can go back to starting school either after labor day or at least wait until after the county fairs in our area," Mitchell argued.
An open beef show judging is scheduled on Friday morning, which will cause even more kids to miss school. The Morrison School District begins classes tomorrow, however, it will be a half-day.