Taylor Swift vs. School Attendance: Hillsborough Superintendent Sends a Warning

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Don’t be a Swiftie Dropout! Tampa Superintendent warns students against skipping school for Taylor Swift’s concert with witty references to her songs.

Hold on to your hats, folks, because drama brewing in Tampa, Florida! Hillsborough County Superintendent Addison Davis has warned students not to miss school for Taylor Swift’s upcoming The Eras Tour. The concert on Thursday, April 13th, falls on a school night, and Davis is not taking any excuses.

Davis used Taylor Swift’s song titles in a video message to drive home his message. Referencing Swift’s 2019 hit “Lover,” Davis warned, “Students, You Need to Calm Down.” He continued, “Under no circumstances will April 13 be an excused absence because you were having an ‘Enchanted’ evening at Raymond James Stadium.” Ouch, sounds like Davis isn’t playing around!

But Davis didn’t stop there. In his letter, he also used song titles like “All Too Well” and “Should’ve Said No” to clarify that missing school for the concert is not an option. Davis even went so far as to call himself the “Anti-Hero” and warn students that “You’re On Your Own Kid” if they think being a “Swiftie” will get them out of school.

Dear students,

It’s me, hi… Hillsborough Superintendent Addison Davis.@taylorswift13 @taylornation13 @RJStadium @AddisonGDavis #TSTheErasTour #TaylorSwift #Midnights #TaylorSwiftErasTour #TampaTSTheErasTour pic.twitter.com/I0OPNmKzm4

— Hillsborough Schools (@HillsboroughSch) April 12, 2023

A Texas legal service provider named Karen Vladeck wrote a similar letter to request that her first-grader be excused from school to attend The Eras Tour. The teacher responded in all caps, saying, “THIS MADE MY ENTIRE DAY.”

Despite the excitement surrounding Swift’s tour, Davis stands firm on the importance of school attendance. The “Anti-Hero” musician is headlining three shows in Tampa from April 13th to 15th, but students better think twice before skipping class for the show. We’ll just have to see how many “Swifties” took Davis’s warning to heart.