Today is Take Our Daughters to Work Day, and parents across the nation will bring their daughters on the job for an event that has stirred controversy lately.

According to an article in The Des Moines Register, the Des Moines Public School District is not excusing absences for students participating in the event this year because the absences can be difficult on teachers.

Marcia Purdy, secretary at the Margaret Sloss House Women’s Center, said the school district is “missing the point.”

“What they say is that they cannot introduce any new materials to their classes if half the class is gone, but I know that they don’t introduce new materials every day, and their lesson plans could be organized around [Take our Daughters to Work Day],” she said.

Purdy said the absences could be turned into a positive experience for those who do attend class.

“If there are young males in the room, they could take this opportunity to explain why this [event] is important,” she said.

W. Ray Richardson, deputy superintendent for Ames Community Schools, said Ames schools are permitting students to miss class for the event.

“At this point, we feel the benefit of students experiencing the world of work … is an educational experience,” he said “And that’s one that we support.”

If in the future large portions of classes were to participate in Take Our Daughters to Work Day, Richardson said the district might separate the event into two days.

“As opposed to not allowing it, I think we would spread out the time or opportunities,” he said.

Kandy Martin, assistant principal of Ames Middle School, said the school excuses students who miss school because of the event but does not actively promote it.

“I realize this is on a national level, but we can’t promote every national day that comes along,” she said. “I think we can go along with it and allow it, but if we were to promote every national event, we’d be promoting something every day.”

She said Take Our Daughters to Work Day does not present a problem for middle school teachers wanting to have regular class on the day of the event.

“The interference actually wouldn’t come within the classroom,” she said, adding the students must make up all work they missed at the teacher’s discretion.

She said the number of girls from the middle school participating in Take Our Daughters to Work Day this year has dropped compared to previous years.

“Probably parents are … weighing the importance of being in school and the experience of [girls] going to work with their parents and organizing other times when they could do that,” she said.

Martin said the school’s annual Career Day allows all students, regardless of gender, to experience job-shadowing.