Educational letter for school excuse/taking the kids out of school

[Colleen27]

That's just crazy.

I'd be pullin gthem under the guise of homeschooling, travel the world, and just re-enroll them the next school year


ETA: how old was the child of the family that was fined for truancy? Because, again, it is legal to drop out of school at 16.

I would too, particularly since my state has no real requirements for homeschoolers.

One of the kids was a freshman, so probably 14. The other was the same friend who had problems at graduation, but the fine happened when she was 15. But the drop out age isn't 16 everywhere. Drop out age is like minimum wage - the federal number is the minimum but states are free to raise theirs, and about half of the states have done so. It is still 16 in my state but there's an ongoing debate over raising it to 18 and I assume eventually that'll get enough support to pass.

 

[pacrosby]

That was in Alabama. It was a great school, other than this one incident. My parents just said to learn from it. That life isn't fair, and some things are just not worth the effort (it would have cost us thousands of dollars to fight it, and we didn't have the money).

The teacher was a jerk. They tried to put me in her class again in my senior year and I got over 500 students to sign a petition to have me moved to a different class. Frankly, if they had placed me back in her class in my senior year, I suspect that I might have done something stupid. I was a brash kid, and that one F was the only grade that kept me from being validictorian of my class. It has not hurt me in the rest of my life, but it sure ticked me off back then.

Yeah, I'm not implying that your family should have taken it that far but, in some ways, it may have been nice because it would have taught them a much needed lesson. When your best friend gets to go to the prom and you don't, that's 'not fair'. Failing a student because they had the chicken pox is just simply illogical.

Apparently you managed to rise above. And you did manage to learn a lesson. It just wasn't the lesson he intended to teach.

 

[Colleen27]

Sorry to quote you twice but I wanted to specifically comment on this.

THIS....is ridiculous. I've never heard of such a thing. I personally have a child with a serious medical condition and therefore know a lot of other families in similar circumstances. Lots of these kids miss A LOT of school and I've never heard of an instance where their school communiites didn't rally around them and give them as much support as possible to make sure that they kept up with their classmates. What you describe is pathetic.

Some here probably just think I'm being pompous when I say I would never put up with this kind of stuff for my family. But, honestly, I wouldn't.

It is ridiculous and like you I wouldn't put up with it for my family. I honestly wasn't sure I'd send my kids to public school at all because the school district I grew up in had so many ridiculous policies and bad practices and until I moved as an adult I really thought that was normal. DH is a strong believer in public schooling, though, so we did our homework when we were house-shopping and found a district with reasonable, common sense policies.

 

[Colleen27]

The terms of their employer is not creating packets of work for kids taking vacation during school days. It's amazing to me that you would think that..you think your kids is the only kid this teacher has? The only thing they have to work on or focus on? The terms of their employer are to teach..IN CLASS and educate the children in the school..not to make worksheet packets for your kid to take on vacation (and never turn in..ask teachers how often they get these things back..not as often as they prepare them I know that). You check the terms of the contracts in your district and I don't think you are going to find anything that covers work for kids on vacation in there or anything close to that.

If the district policy is to give make up work in advance, as it is in MANY districts which excuse family vacations, providing that work is part of a teacher's job. Teachers have any number of responsibilities that go beyond teaching "in class", from after-school hours and club sponsorships to grading papers and lesson planning, and following school and district policies is not an unreasonable expectation.

 

[pacrosby]

I would too, particularly since my state has no real requirements for homeschoolers.

One of the kids was a freshman, so probably 14. The other was the same friend who had problems at graduation, but the fine happened when she was 15. But the drop out age isn't 16 everywhere. Drop out age is like minimum wage - the federal number is the minimum but states are free to raise theirs, and about half of the states have done so. It is still 16 in my state but there's an ongoing debate over raising it to 18 and I assume eventually that'll get enough support to pass.

Yeah, I've heard some talk of trying to raise the age here as well.

Our recent tangents however have made me start to wonder. Don't some of these administrators realize that being so heavy handed could just end up back firing? I mean, we all know a great deal of this stuff has to do with funding and all. And with all the alternatives to the traditional public school education out there? If families start seeking out other options because some of these outlandish rules, where does that leave them? Less kids in the system = less funding.

I guess they're banking on the fact that most people are followers. They've apparently done their research

 

[Colleen27]

Yeah, I've heard some talk of trying to raise the age here as well.

Our recent tangents however have made me start to wonder. Don't some of these administrators realize that being so heavy handed could just end up back firing? I mean, we all know a great deal of this stuff has to do with funding and all. And with all the alternatives to the traditional public school education out there? If families start seeking out other options because some of these outlandish rules, where does that leave them? Less kids in the system = less funding.

I guess they're banking on the fact that most people are followers. They've apparently done their research

I think they'd have to consider that more now than back when I was in school. I went to school before school choice, homeschooling, or charter schools went "mainstream" and there were only a few options for private school nearby, most of them religious and/or very expensive. So the options were $5K+ per year in tuition, moving, or tolerating district policies.

A lot has changed at the school I graduated from since then and I do think that had a lot to do with it - between school choice and charter schools, parents now have a half-dozen no-cost alternatives within a 10min radius. They still don't have the family- and community-oriented culture that our current district has and written policy is still king with no room for interpretation or common sense, but the policies themselves have shifted to be more reasonable.

 

[Coconut36]

If the district policy is to give make up work in advance, as it is in MANY districts which excuse family vacations, providing that work is part of a teacher's job. Teachers have any number of responsibilities that go beyond teaching "in class", from after-school hours and club sponsorships to grading papers and lesson planning, and following school and district policies is not an unreasonable expectation.

Sorry but in all the years my Mom taught and all the years my DH has been teaching (different districts) there is no such requirement of teachers to give make up work in ADVANCE of an absence most especially for a family vacation.

It is for the most part at their discretion and there are policies defined in the handbooks regarding make up work for excused absences but they are NOT related to it being provided ahead of time but allowing time for it to be turned in once they return. I can find no provisions in either district handbook stating the teacher/school is obligated to prepare work in advance of an absence. They do lay out policies for time to turn it back in upon their return (generally 1 day per days of absence..so 7 days out would be 7 days to turn it in). There is a difference between allowing it to be made up and thinking the teacher is required by "terms of their contract" to do it in advance for you. I can speak to 2 districts here where that it is not stated or required that they do so.

I don't believe it is the norm that districts require teachers provide work in advance per their contract/district policy for family vacations. (key words here being "required" and "vacations").

I can't find anything in the handbook or on the district website that state this..all I find is student and parental responsibility for getting the work done upon RETURN to school..nothing requiring advance work from the staff.

The issue here is that you seem to think that it is a regular responsibility for a teacher to provide work for vacation and I don't agree with that nor can I find anything to support that is a normal policy in handbooks for the 2 districts I know well (based on my Mom and DH teaching in them).

If that is a standard policy in your district for teachers to do this for VACATIONS that is fine..it's not here so it is not what I view as a standard part of their job because it isn't. It's parental and student responsibility to be sure the work is obtained and done..not the teacher's responsibility to have days and weeks of work prepared in advance for all students.

Now I know many will do what they can but it takes time and extra work on their part. I don't need lectures on what teachers do outside their contracted hours/time as I am well aware of it and have seen it my entire life..the point however is that they are (here anyway) not required to do this in advance and it is an undue burden for many teachers especially those that do not use worksheets and homework sheets in great quantity as they do most of the work in class.

 

[okeydokey]

I fail to see how it is rude to expect a professional to do his job according to the terms set by his employer.

Are you expected to turn in work assignments weeks ahead of when they are due? And you can only prepare these assignments outside of regular work time?

 

[okeydokey]

If the district policy is to give make up work in advance, as it is in MANY districts which excuse family vacations, providing that work is part of a teacher's job. Teachers have any number of responsibilities that go beyond teaching "in class", from after-school hours and club sponsorships to grading papers and lesson planning, and following school and district policies is not an unreasonable expectation.

I have NEVER seen this written policy in any school district I have been a part of.

 

[Coconut36]

Are you expected to turn in work assignments weeks ahead of when they are due? And you can only prepare these assignments outside of regular work time?

I have NEVER seen this written policy in any school district I have been a part of.

Exactly..well said on both counts (and I have never seen/heard of such a policy either!).

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Exactly..well said on both counts (and I have never seen/heard of such a policy either!).

I wonder, since a few posters have said this, if that means that you don't believe that they exist at all?

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

Okay, so am I a slacker since I haven't got a clue what my school's policies are other than I just have my kids make up their school work if they are out?

 

[Coconut36]

I wonder, since a few posters have said this, if that means that you don't believe that they exist at all?

Eh...I know things vary from state to state so it's entirely possible they do exist however I would say with confidence it is an exception/rarity and not norm for such a policy to exist (in regards to teachers being required to provide work in advance for vacations).

(I am referencing public schools for the most part as that is my experience..private and charter schools can have entirely different policies and ways of handling it).

I think people very often interpret policies to fit their needs and it is also possible claims of "teachers are required to prepare work in advance for family vacations" is a personal interpretation of a district/school make up policy that was not written clearly and could be manipulated to fit what they want even though that was not the intent of the policy.

 

[castleview]

Thank you. I really have no idea how it works. How far in advance they have their plans, etc. We've always just caught up when we got back and the girls would write a story about the trip.

It depends. DH has been a high school teacher for quite a while. He was sort of on auto-pilot with his lesson plans which allowed him to research more materials for the kids since he had a general time plan to work off of and accent (still wrote them down of course via administrative necessity ).

This year, his school switched to block scheduling. So rather than see every kid every day for 43 minutes. He sees them every other day 85-90 minutes. He LOVES this because he could get more done - but it has shifted his planning obviously so he's very day to day on his planning right now.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Eh...I know things vary from state to state so it's entirely possible they do exist however I would say with confidence it is an exception/rarity and not norm for such a policy to exist (in regards to teachers being required to provide work in advance for vacations).

(I am referencing public schools for the most part as that is my experience..private and charter schools can have entirely different policies and ways of handling it).

I think people very often interpret policies to fit their needs and it is also possible claims of "teachers are required to prepare work in advance for family vacations" is a personal interpretation of a district/school make up policy that was not written clearly and could be manipulated to fit what they want even though that was not the intent of the policy.

Cool - I was just a bit concerned that we might be talking past one another. Most people do, indeed, interpret policies to their benefit - all types of policies.

At my son's elementary school, the policy is not written, but it is stated as such in open forum parent meetings, as well as parent/teacher meetings. I do not know why it isn't written policy, but many policies are not written, so it has never concerned me.

My older son is in HS,and their policy is in writing. The decision is left up to the teacher. To me, this policy doesn't make much sense as it forces the teachers to be the "bad guy" if most other teachers are accommodating and one cannot be for a good reason.

 

[Colleen27]

If that is a standard policy in your district for teachers to do this for VACATIONS that is fine..it's not here so it is not what I view as a standard part of their job because it isn't. It's parental and student responsibility to be sure the work is obtained and done..not the teacher's responsibility to have days and weeks of work prepared in advance for all students.

It has been policy in both districts I've had my kids in, perhaps because both acknowledge family vacations during the school year as a fact of life for the populations they serve? As I said before, our area is heavily dependent on seasonal industries so many, many families simply cannot vacation according the the school schedule.

At the elem I'm not sure is written anywhere or if it is just accepted as how things are done. I've never really looked, I just know what the principal told me and what the kids' teachers have done over the years. At the middle & high school it is written policy and there's a form available in the office to fill out to notify all of a student's teachers of a planned absence in order to get advance work. There is language on that form to the effect of "when possible", which I would assume to apply if the vacation was long enough that the lessons weren't yet planned as well as to lab work and other things that cannot be done at home/on the road, but the expectation is that teachers will provide at least some of the missed work in advance.

Most of our teachers also maintain class websites (the district provides a template) with the plans for the coming week and some even upload worksheets there as well, which I love for those days when I have a kid home sick who is contagious or waiting out the 24hr rule but still feeling well enough to get some work done. The school system and teachers make it really easy for parents to keep up with what is happening and help their kids get/stay caught up, whatever the reason for the absence.

 

[Coconut36]

Cool - I was just a bit concerned that we might be talking past one another. Most people do, indeed, interpret policies to their benefit - all types of policies.

At my son's elementary school, the policy is not written, but it is stated as such in open forum parent meetings, as well as parent/teacher meetings. I do not know why it isn't written policy, but many policies are not written, so it has never concerned me.

My older son is in HS,and their policy is in writing. The decision is left up to the teacher. To me, this policy doesn't make much sense as it forces the teachers to be the "bad guy" if most other teachers are accommodating and one cannot be for a good reason.

I think for the most part most teachers have no issue with it especially if given reasonable notice (for example more than a few days for 6 weeks of work) but I don't think it is often a required thing for them to do or define as part of their job description/district policy. Most of the schools/districts here have an overall policy regarding make up work and accepting it to try to eliminate some of those "bag guy" teacher situations. It's often stated in the student handbooks how it is handled for that school/district and teachers can be (and sometimes are) lenient with that and be more accommodating but they can't do things like "no make up work for you" just because they want to..if the absence fits the criteria for make up work they must follow school/district policy on it. I think a teacher by teacher basis could be a nightmare!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

OP - I'm in a similar predicament. We planned our WDW trip around our kids winter break based on last years calendar. Well the district decided to change this years calendar and now our kids (2nd & 4th grade) will miss 6 days of school.

Our school has a policy that if a child misses 5 or more consecutive days of school they are placed on "Independant Study". They will receive work packets and a contract will be made indicating all work must be completed in order for the absences to be excused. Easy peasy - no drama, no fuss, no letter, etc.

Perhaps you could find out if this is an option in your district?

 

[badblackpug]

This actually confuses me.

Juniors and seniors (as well as most sophmores depending on the time of year) in high school are of an age where they can drop out if they so desire. How then can they fine a parent for not sending their child to school?

Maybe your friend's child was younger?

Actually your friend's problem seems less related to her WDW vacation than her overall lack of interest/involvement in her son's education. The WDW trip was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm guessing if he were out for anything that couldn't be considered absolutely necessary at the point, the truancy board would've been brought in. And appropriately so.

Actually, you are right. The WDW trip was the straw that broke the camel's back. He had missed quite a few days, she was called in for a meeting about the fact that he was closing in on the "maximum" mark. It was not as if he had any really valid medical or personal excuses for them to take into consideration, which they would have if she could have documented these types of issues. In our district, in high school (he was a junior, I think) if you miss more than 2 periods out of the day, without a doctors note, you are considered absent for the whole day. So if she had some sort of medical reasoning, like "his asthma was acting up and he needed treatments, so he missed 1st and 2nd period" or something similar, they would have considered that. As for the dropping out, yes, here at 16 you can withdraw from school at 16, but if you have not officially withdrawn, then you are still subject to the rules and regulations of the school, and since he was a minor, and still enrolled in school, and since the school had tried to work with the parents on the absenteeism problem they felt a referral to court was appropriate in this case.

 

[CPT Tripss]

http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/kids/SE.shtml

This link has a letter.... have a great trip!

If it's cheating to use a "paper" from the internet, why is cribbing an excuse letter OK? Think of the example you are setting.