How do I explain losing a perfect-attendance prize when my child needs to stay home sick?

My eight-year-old put his uniform beside the thermometer. He had a fever overnight and wanted to know whether arriving after registration would still count for his attendance streak.

He is staying home. [CDC school guidance includes being fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine among general return criteria, alongside being well enough to participate and any illness-specific or local requirements](https://www.cdc.gov/children-and-school-preparedness/php/interventions/when-students-or-staff-are-sick.html). A certificate doesn't change that.

The difficult part is that I helped make the streak important. We counted the days on the calendar, and I said he was doing brilliantly. The school email describes the end-of-term prize as recognition of commitment. Now he thinks one sick day means his effort no longer counts.

I can ask how the school handles illness-related absences, but I can't promise it will change the award. What would you say to him today, and how would you raise the problem with school without turning his sick day into a campaign he has to lead?