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Post by genny on Nov 1, 2016 14:03:48 GMT
Nope, ours too.
We got a letter in the mail last week from the school district social worker about the 6 days DD has missed with threats about missing prom and all senior activities, not walking at graduation etc. All 6 days were excused because she was in the hospital and had a doctors excuse for all 6 days - dr note turned in the day she went back to school. She also completed her makeup work and had it turned in before the deadline.
When I called the social worker she explained to me that for some reason this year there has been a huge wave of absences and she was instructed to send a letter to anyone who had missed more than 4 days and that there were so many she wasn't able to research each child to see if they were excused or not. She looked into it and took us off the 'bad' list because she found the documentation. We've never gotten a letter like this before. I was pretty pissed at first to be honest, but the lady was really sweet and apologetic and I know she was just doing what shed been told to do.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 1, 2016 14:34:49 GMT
My kid missed eight days last year between the beginning of October and winter break because she had double pneumonia and an ear infection, followed by another ear infection (or maybe it was the same one that never totally went away), then a sinus infection, and then finally a c-diff infection which was amazingly fun--NOT. When my kid is feeling like crap, I'm keeping her home. Nobody wants to deal with that if they don't have to, so I figure I'm doing the school population a favor. I doubt very much any learning will go on when she's that worn out. I too think it's funny that on the one hand the school tells you to keep them home for another 24 hours after their fever or puking/diarrhea stops and they're basically fine again, but on the other hand when you actually do that it seems like it's frowned upon. ![:confused:](//storage.proboards.com/5645536/images/gFcgIuKyZogcCNuz36nO.jpg) Can't win no matter what you do.
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pudgygroundhog
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Nov 1, 2016 14:55:49 GMT
Like any school, ours has an attendance policy, but I have not seen any big push on the matter. My daughter is in fourth grade and so far she has missed a few days each year for being sick, a few days for family vacations, and maybe she is late a few times a year from appointments. I do my best to schedule appointments around the school schedule, but sometimes I just couldn't get around it (like when she broke her arm and trying to see her pediatric orthopedist was really difficult and I had to take whatever appointment I could get). Her regular doctor is not a problem because they have evening hours - it's usually the specialists that can be hard to see.
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Post by katiejane on Nov 1, 2016 16:14:09 GMT
In the UK taking your kids put of school for dr appointments etc is frowned upon. Unless it is with a hospital or an emergency appointment. If you take them out during school terms for a holiday you run the very real risk of being hit with a fine. If attendance drops down to below 95 percent at my kids school you can get a letter and a call to investigate further. And further than that and you you will start getting visits to encourage attendance and maybe the truancy officer will be involved.
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Post by 2peaornot2pea on Nov 1, 2016 16:25:54 GMT
We had a similar problem when DS #1 was in high school. Only in our situation it was about absences for bereavement. We live in Texas and my family lives in northern Illinois. We had a death in the family and decided to go to the funeral. It's a 15-18 hour drive one way. We were gone about a week. I got all kinds of crap from the principal regarding it. Education is important. I get that. But paying respect to family by going to a funeral is more important. Sometimes as a parent you have to do what you have to do. In this situation I would have done the same, no matter the policy.
In my district traveling for a funeral is a valid excuse for being absent.
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kibblesandbits
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Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Nov 1, 2016 19:08:18 GMT
Well, since states pay school districts on a "butts in seats" policy, the funding takes priority over your dental appointments that could very well take place during the summer months, or over the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring breaks. Oh wait, that cuts into your "fun" time. Schools are paid by attendance - keep your kid out, funding goes down. So, keep your kid in school. (BTW, using the "royal you" in this response.) SaveSaveI know some may be shocked by this, but this "royal you" just doesn't care. If I need to take my kid out for an hour for a dental appointment, I will (and did). If that meant the school got $4 less that day, then sorry. It's not $4. I'm sure you realize that. SaveSave
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kate
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Jun 26, 2014 3:30:05 GMT
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Post by kate on Nov 1, 2016 20:25:53 GMT
I thought of the RefuPeas this morning when we were told at a department meeting that two of our young kids (different families) would be gone for most of January due to family's extended travel. One kid will probably be fine in the long run; for the other kid, the consequences will probably be very serious (possibly needing to repeat the grade).
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RosieKat
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Post by RosieKat on Nov 2, 2016 0:56:07 GMT
I just try to remind myself that for all the people doing everything they can to avoid the absence, or doing all the things right about, for example, documenting emergency surgery - there are a lot more kids that are just falling through the cracks. We never miss school for vacations or "just because," I try to schedule appointments outside school hours where I can, and yet, sometimes there are a lot of absences. Both my kids have to see a few different specialists where you're kind of at their mercy for available appointments. For one specialty they both have to see, there is one provider (well, one office with 3 providers, technically) in the entire huge city. We live at least 45 minutes away, and their office hours are 9-4. Sometimes there is no choice for the parents.
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cycworker
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Jun 26, 2014 0:42:38 GMT
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Post by cycworker on Nov 5, 2016 21:14:48 GMT
If you're wondering why our schools are small by some of your standards, I think based on discussions with US friends, it's because we create our districts differently. We have 60 in British Columbia. If you live in the same city/town you are part of the same district, regardless. And if your town is small enough you'll be part of a larger district. I don't get how that makes for smaller schools? wouldn't it make for bigger? Also what do they do about extreme rural? Some kids would have to travel for hrs? Or am I just not getting what you are saying? Admittedly, I'm not sure either. I'm lost. I need a teacher to weigh in, probably... especially folks from Canada, too to help get a balance. Our elementary (K-7) schools range 200-400ish kids. We have some below 200, none above 430. Anything below 200 is harder to manage, funding-wise. Our secondary (gr 8-12) schools range generally 600 to 1400. Our goal is 800 to 1400. That's what we consider optimal, based on the funding we get. We do have 2 smaller, rural high schools. One is very small - 240 kids - and one is just under 600.
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Post by Merge on Nov 5, 2016 22:41:38 GMT
It's probably too late on this thread, but I just want to point out that it's not "the schools" pushing these policies. They're responding to financial pressure from both state and federal governments. We are already all so strapped for cash, and at least in my state, it's the "low taxes/save money" Republicans we keep electing who choose to "save money" by taking money away from the school every time your kid is not there. As if it costs less to run the school that day.
It does bother me when I see the derisive/borderline hateful attitude from some about "the schools" being mean about wanting their kids in school. These policies are directly tied to money - money that is sorely needed to educate your children.
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Post by smasonnc on Nov 5, 2016 22:49:45 GMT
I know it's annoying, but your kids are probably not the ones they're trying to help with the emphasis on attendance. I came from a family of teachers. When my kids were in school I was a front desk volunteer who checked in kids who were either late to school or who were returning after an absence. Lots of kids were absent for dental and dr. appointments, including mine, but most were gone from school for an hour and returned so there was a minimum of work to be made up for either them or the teacher. Unfortunately, it was always the same families who were chronically absent or who came strolling in late daily because of "traffic" or "mom's alarm didn't go off". I just wrote the pass and filed the notes with all the others. I didn't give anybody the stinkeye.
Chronic absenteeism inhibits in student achievement and some families just don't get the connection. Not only does it put students behind the class, it makes extra work for already overburdened teachers. Even in school districts that don't tie funding to attendance, the time it takes to remediate kids who miss class makes it hard for the whole school to meet achievement mandates. Schools have a tough enough time dealing with families who don't give a crap about education. At least be patient with them when they try to get kids to come to school. Those of you whose kids get a cold or a filling now and then aren't the ones they're looking at.
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