Nasty School Letter

[doberlady]

Hi,

We leave Tuesday for OKW

Anyway, I had to send a letter to the teachers letting them know the kids would be missing 7 1/2 days of school and I received a nasty-gram from the Principal for my 1st grader letting me know it's illegal to keep the kids out of school that long.

I guess in exchange for them overlooking it I am supposed to have them keep journals and such (which they do anyway).

 

[Suzyq9241]

That is true.... However as long as they bring their school work with them, do it all, hand it in on the day they return it should be ok.

My sister lives in Virginia and if the children are out 8 days she goes to court and she can be fined and in some cases she can be put in jail for a number of days. I dont know how many but it through the town or district that they come from. It also depends on the state you live in.


url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]

[/url]

 

[NotUrsula]

In many cases you can disarm this whole argument completely by offering to pay the school for the days your child misses.

In a lot of districts, some of the school's funding is tied directly to daily attendance; they lose X dollars for every child for every absent day, usually about $20-30 per child per day. If you offer to make up the lost funds, many schools suddenly become much more tolerant about the days off (provided you're not asking for extra favors otherwise, and if your child is a good student who will not fall seriously behind due to the absence.)

 

[jodifla]

Who do these school districts think they are?

I'd be willing to go to court to tell these schools what they can do with their policies.

It's all about the money...not the kids. And it's ludicrous considering you can homeschool your kids, and the state doesn't care if they EVER come to school.

 

[doberlady]

Who do these school districts think they are?

I'd be willing to go to court to tell these schools what they can do with their policies.

It's all about the money...not the kids. And it's ludicrous considering you can homeschool your kids, and the state doesn't care if they EVER come to school.

I agree and for gosh sakes my son is in the 1st grade!!!!!!!! His teacher said not to worry about any of the work she wants him to have a great time and not to have to do schoolwork on his vacation!

 

[seashoreCM]

If you were taking the kids out of school and you were coming to get them in the middle of a school day to go to the airport and then you get a nasty letter from the principal, do not have the kids attend the last half day.

I would not cancel my earlier scheduled vacation so the kids could attend make up days not on the original school calendar for such reasons as earlier snow storms or a classmate killed in a car wreck or the dam in town threatening to break (Taunton, MA). But I would have my kids do school work on the unexpected school closed days.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[SueM in MN]

Who do these school districts think they are?

I'd be willing to go to court to tell these schools what they can do with their policies.

It's all about the money...not the kids. And it's ludicrous considering you can homeschool your kids, and the state doesn't care if they EVER come to school.

Part of it is money and part of it is the "No child left behind" stuff. From my understanding, that put more pressure and more constraints on the schools if kids are missing days.

 

[momx2]

Here in KY its 6 days and you can get hauled into court. It is beyond ridiculous!

 

[twojo21]

this is one of the places big brother pisses me off, these are your kids & if you want to have a bonding time & vacation with them as a family & take them out of school for a few days i think this should be fine more than fine, it should be your right as their parent. spending time with family is important.

 

[kellyg403]

Here in NC the kids are allowed to miss 6 days per Semester unexcused. If they miss more than they can not be moved ahead the next year. Even if they have perfect grades, the attendance alone will hold them back. Because of the hurricane we had back in Sept. the kids missed three days because the schools closed due to floods. Our trip was initially scheduled to begin the first day of xmas break. Now, they are using the first three days as makeup days for those missed days. I have been stressing the kids not miss any days because I have already been told that they are considered unexcused and there is nothing I can do. We can be taken to court and fined also, with possible jail time if our kids miss more than 15 days a year. i do remember this having something to do with the no child left behind act. But unfortunately our trip is paid for and I can not change it. WE ARE GOING!! The biggest problem I see with the whole thing is that kids are being sent to school sick so that they are not missing days. One school here about 2 weeks ago had a 30% attendance school wide (inc. teachers) because the whole school had the flu. I get aggravated the whole way around sometimes. My child can not miss a few days for a family vacation but the star football player can have a D average and still play school sports...Just my 2 cents.

Kelly

Kelly

 

[Mom to Jordan]

WE too are in NC and our policy, or lack of one is much more relaxed. They truly care about the kids and are excited to see them get the chance to see and do things!!

We have never had a problem at all. DS teacher asked me when he was in 5th grade if I wanted to fill out the forms to make it excused and I asked what the difference was and she told me it was just which place the school marks on the form. Next year as a 8th grader will be our last in-school trip as I think high school would be really hard to catch up. We had planed to stop at middle school but they ENCOURAGED us to take him for a week!!

For those with preschool age kids, check out the school before you enroll. Most places you can transfer to another local school as long as your provide transportation for your child.

Good luck!!!

Jordans' mom

 

[Apothecary]

The Nova Scotia government floated an idea similar to this a month or so ago, but it was widely criticized by parents and teachers alike, so they have thankfully backed off...we're hauling our twin sons (grade 2) out for 3 weeks in February.

 

[bicker]

Who do these school districts think they are?

Administrators of the public interest. While I don't like the idea that primary and secondary education aren't significantly flexible, that's the problem, not the fact that administrators who are doing their job.

 

[don8life]

Our school district sends a letter home for parents to sign in the beginning of the year that if you child does not comply with the attendance policy they have they want the right to report you to children services.

My main problem with this is nowhere in the school handbook doesn't state a set number of days. all it says is you child should attend school every day unless he or she is sick.

Ok, I'm a moron and I'm going to give you permission to call children services on me. Are you kidding? I never sign it and they are very adament about you returning it I usually have to call the school and explain.

My 4 yr old had a liver transplant when she was an infant. So anyday my children may be uprooted and sent to a family memebber in another state while hubby and I take her to her transplant center in another state for who knows how many amount of days. And I'm supposed to sign a letter that is ambiguous in the first place? NOT! Usually I say something like the life of my yougest child means more to us then folllowing the school's "attendance policy"

Now one thing that I have learned, is that life is too short. There is no guarentees about tomorrow's. The most important thing we have in this world is the love of our family.
So frig the principal and have fun in Disney!

 

[doberlady]

Now one thing that I have learned, is that life is too short. There is no guarentees about tomorrow's. The most important thing we have in this world is the love of our family.

So frig the principal and have fun in Disney

LOL, I so like you

 

[doberlady]

We can be taken to court and fined also, with possible jail time if our kids miss more than 15 days a year.

well, it so happens that we are a foster family and CPS is coming here on Monday for our monthly visit anyway, maybe I will tell on myself

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I am completley outraged!!! Are these State Laws that the school has to impose..or are these rules brought out by the school alone???

 

[becjlek]

My son, then 14, suffered a severe head injury at a school event. He missed 4 days of school, and then a week of half days. (We were blessed by a miracle recovery). He had to serve 6 Saturday schools for absentism while in the hospital.

 

[bicker]

It wouldn't really matter. The school administrators are empowered by the school board, elected by the people to represent the public interest.

The problem is the system, not the people.

 

[kellyg403]

I actually was under the impression that it was school board policy in counties or district as how they interpet the Federal "No Child Left Behind" so they stay in compliance with that. I think I may check into it further myself because I feel like I am missing something after reading others have an easy time of it. All of my children are in the Academically Gifted Program, A/B students and do very well in school. I would hate for them to fail because I take them out and have unexcused absences. So at this point I am hoping all sickness stays away..though those would be excused absences. Now our high schools have "Saturday" school so those who have missed 4 days can make them up on Sat. and start "clean". I don't know. They stress parent involvement, and family centered activities but do not consider "family" vacations as part of that. We are like so many, we try very hard to schedule when the kids have breaks/vacation but sometimes we have to get around it. Just keep your fingers crossed that some of the teachers are more understanding than the one I started with!

Kelly