How much of your child's illness is a parent required to divulge to school staff?

[IDoDis]

I find it hard to believe that 20 absences are allowed per year as the OP states. Not that she's lying, but that she misunderstood. That's one month out of the school year missed. I can't see any school district allowing that many absences. Most likely the total allowable excused absences is 10 per YEAR not 10 per every 90 days.

NCLB has strict guidelines with regards to attendance and school districts lose funding and AYP status which hurts the school. Not to mention that kids need to be in school. Kids don't need to stay home for colds and sniffles. This sets a tone for the future where bad work habits form and people end up calling in sick all the time. I have an educational assistant that calls in for every ache and pain or if she had a bad night sleeping she'll say she has a headache and won't come in. That puts me and the kids in a bind. I'm sure this pattern was started when she was younger.

BTW, I have over 650 sick hours accumulated. I've called in sick only one time this school year and the same goes for just about every other school year. I have gone to work with colds. They are a part of life.

 

[Coconut36]

I find it hard to believe that 20 absences are allowed per year as the OP states. Not that she's lying, but that she misunderstood. That's one month out of the school year missed. I can't see any school district allowing that many absences. Most likely the total allowable excused absences is 10 per YEAR not 10 per every 90 days.

NCLB has strict guidelines with regards to attendance and school districts lose funding and AYP status which hurts the school. Not to mention that kids need to be in school. Kids don't need to stay home for colds and sniffles. This sets a tone for the future where bad work habits form and people end up calling in sick all the time. I have an educational assistant that calls in for every ache and pain or if she had a bad night sleeping she'll say she has a headache and won't come in. That puts me and the kids in a bind. I'm sure this pattern was started when she was younger.

BTW, I have over 650 sick hours accumulated. I've called in sick only one time this school year and the same goes for just about every other school year. I have gone to work with colds. They are a part of life.

I was looking it up for my state and it said habitually truant is determined if they have more than 5 absences in the school YEAR and excessively truant if they miss more than 10% of total class time (DH said 18 days total).

 

[HelenePA]

I was looking it up for my state and it said habitually truant is determined if they have more than 5 absences in the school YEAR and excessively truant if they miss more than 10% of total class time (DH said 18 days total).

5 days or 5 unexcused days?! because 5 days is just so low! kids are little petri dishes!! they are germ magnets!

 

[IDoDis]

I was looking it up for my state and it said habitually truant is determined if they have more than 5 absences in the school YEAR and excessively truant if they miss more than 10% of total class time (DH said 18 days total).

5 days or 5 unexcused days?! because 5 days is just so low! kids are little petri dishes!! they are germ magnets!

Here is what it says for Pennsylvania:

"HABITUALLY TRUANT: Unexcused absence for more than three (3) school days or the equivalent, following the first notice of an unexcused absence given by school staff. The fourth unexcused absence would be considered habitual. Also reference definition of DEPENDENT CHILD above."

 

[badblackpug]

Here is what it says for Pennsylvania:

"HABITUALLY TRUANT: Unexcused absence for more than three (3) school days or the equivalent, following the first notice of an unexcused absence given by school staff. The fourth unexcused absence would be considered habitual. Also reference definition of DEPENDENT CHILD above."

Yes, as I explained in an earlier post there is "allowable" absences (mommy note) "excused" absences (doctors note, death in family, court date, college visit) and "unexcused" absences (no note)

It varies from district to district but you are considered habitually truant after 3 unexcused absences, or after 10 "allowable" absences. "excused" absences are unlimited.

I didn't note the OP's location, but I still think 15 absences in a year, without a doctors visit is excessive.

 

[torinsmom]

All I can tell you is that my son has missed a lot more than 10 days this school year. I believe he has missed 20 days this SEMESTER. They were excused with a mommy note and the last few were excused with a doctors' note. The only time I have heard anything about his absences was when he didn't turn in his notes and I got a letter from the county asking me to send in notes or I would be in trouble for him being truant. Once I sent in notes, they were fine. He has to file attendance appeals for classes at the end of the semester, but since he had mono, it shouldn't be a problem. So I guess different districts are different. He is a senior in high school.

 

[tvguy]

5 days or 5 unexcused days?! because 5 days is just so low! kids are little petri dishes!! they are germ magnets!

Wow, I checked, my son, who has asthma missed 8 days from Kindergarten through 8th grade, and none in high school. So 5 a year seems way high to me. He tended to get sick Friday, and be better by Sunday.

 

[Bluestars]

Unless my children had a serious illness, something contagious, a fever, or vomiting, then they had to go to school. None of them missed more than 15 days throughout their entire years in school. I can't imagine them missing 15 days in one school year.

 

[HelenePA]

Wow, I checked, my son, who has asthma missed 8 days from Kindergarten through 8th grade, and none in high school. So 5 a year seems way high to me. He tended to get sick Friday, and be better by Sunday.

Well my dd11 takes a LOT longer to get over any type of illnesses because of her heart defect.. sorry but she's missed a ton of time.. of course she's also in a life skills program which has different rules than reg classroom kids My ds6 and dd9 both had swine flu this year... he missed 9 full school days because of it.. all those 5 days+ were used... should I have sent him to school after 5 days of being sick because of the rules or what?

 

[mhsjax]

I find it hard to believe that 20 absences are allowed per year as the OP states. Not that she's lying, but that she misunderstood. That's one month out of the school year missed. I can't see any school district allowing that many absences. Most likely the total allowable excused absences is 10 per YEAR not 10 per every 90 days.

NCLB has strict guidelines with regards to attendance and school districts lose funding and AYP status which hurts the school. Not to mention that kids need to be in school. Kids don't need to stay home for colds and sniffles. This sets a tone for the future where bad work habits form and people end up calling in sick all the time. I have an educational assistant that calls in for every ache and pain or if she had a bad night sleeping she'll say she has a headache and won't come in. That puts me and the kids in a bind. I'm sure this pattern was started when she was younger.

BTW, I have over 650 sick hours accumulated. I've called in sick only one time this school year and the same goes for just about every other school year. I have gone to work with colds. They are a part of life.

We are allowed 15, after that all absences require a written note from the Dr.

 

[mhsjax]

Well my dd11 takes a LOT longer to get over any type of illnesses because of her heart defect.. sorry but she's missed a ton of time.. of course she's also in a life skills program which has different rules than reg classroom kids My ds6 and dd9 both had swine flu this year... he missed 9 full school days because of it.. all those 5 days+ were used... should I have sent him to school after 5 days of being sick because of the rules or what?

Yeah, mine had an appendectomy, I guess I should have sent him in the day after surgery. People have no clue. If your kid never gets sick or injured consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, get over yourself.

 

[morgan98]

Yeah, mine had an appendectomy, I guess I should have sent him in the day after surgery. People have no clue. If your kid never gets sick or injured consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, get over yourself.

With all due respect, I really don't think anyone on this thread needs to get over themselves. Some of these examples with severe cases of mono, appendectomies, swine flu, etc. are NOT the same as what the OP is talking about. All of the above mentioned conditions were presumably documented, diagnosed and treated by a doctor.

The OP, on the other hand, has a child who has missed more than 15 days of school without ever seeing a doctor. That does seem to be out of the ordinary and I think why some are questioning the severity of the "illnesses."

 

[mhsjax]

With all due respect, I really don't think anyone on this thread needs to get over themselves. Some of these examples with severe cases of mono, appendectomies, swine flu, etc. are NOT the same as what the OP is talking about. All of the above mentioned conditions were presumably documented, diagnosed and treated by a doctor.

The OP, on the other hand, has a child who has missed more than 15 days of school without ever seeing a doctor. That does seem to be out of the ordinary and I think why some are questioning the severity of the "illnesses."

I am talking about the people on this page that are bragging that their kids never miss from being sick.

 

[mjantz]

Of my 2 kids, DS has always been the sicker one. Usually when the seasons change his allergies & asthma go haywire & he needs a day at home to sleep & recover. He probably misses 3-5 days per year due to illness. There are days I push him out the door & hope for the best but he's not contagious, just miserable.
DD OTOH gets sick rarely. This year however she made up for it! Out for a week with fever (over 101 most of the week) & a week after that threw up on a Friday AM.
They are at different schools but neither has given us any trouble about their absences. If they started asking for documentation they'd get an earful. They aren't trouble makers & are there nearly every day so I can't get upset if they miss 3-7 days in the course of a school year.

 

[Bluestars]

I am talking about the people on this page that are bragging that their kids never miss from being sick.

I'm sorry if you were referring to my post. My meaning was that I didn't let my kids stay home because of a minor discomforts.

Of course people need to keep their kids home because of major illnesses or something contagious.

 

[Coconut36]

5 days or 5 unexcused days?! because 5 days is just so low! kids are little petri dishes!! they are germ magnets!

What I read did not say excused or unexcused on it.

I looked in our district handbook and it indicates 5 UNexcused results in a truancy officer being involved. If it is 18 days total (meaning excused or unexcused) for the year they are also considered truant and it would result on a truancy investigation and a representative assigned to investigate.

 

[Coconut36]

With all due respect, I really don't think anyone on this thread needs to get over themselves. Some of these examples with severe cases of mono, appendectomies, swine flu, etc. are NOT the same as what the OP is talking about. All of the above mentioned conditions were presumably documented, diagnosed and treated by a doctor.

The OP, on the other hand, has a child who has missed more than 15 days of school without ever seeing a doctor. That does seem to be out of the ordinary and I think why some are questioning the severity of the "illnesses."

I agree. Those are obvious health issues and concerns and would be duly noted, documented and treated by a Dr. That is not on par with a kid being kept home for every runny nose and cold.

 

[Coconut36]

All I can tell you is that my son has missed a lot more than 10 days this school year. I believe he has missed 20 days this SEMESTER. They were excused with a mommy note and the last few were excused with a doctors' note. The only time I have heard anything about his absences was when he didn't turn in his notes and I got a letter from the county asking me to send in notes or I would be in trouble for him being truant. Once I sent in notes, they were fine. He has to file attendance appeals for classes at the end of the semester, but since he had mono, it shouldn't be a problem. So I guess different districts are different. He is a senior in high school.

It might be..it also might be related to the threshold for truancy in your state. Ours is 18 days total..excused or unexcused. So in my state if your child missed 20 days in a SEMESTER I can assure you the truancy officer would be involved and a meeting would be called with you, the student, the teacher(s), Principal and a court truancy officer.

ETA-It's actually my county that has the 18 day threshold. Another county in the same state might differ.

 

[aprilgail2]

I find it hard to believe that 20 absences are allowed per year as the OP states. Not that she's lying, but that she misunderstood. That's one month out of the school year missed. I can't see any school district allowing that many absences. Most likely the total allowable excused absences is 10 per YEAR not 10 per every 90 days.

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Our district is - if your child is out for 30 days or more they have the option to leave your child back. My daughter missed 36 days one year but they did not leave her back since they only do that if their grades are not up to par. Of those 36 only 5 were days she was not sick (we went on vacation for 5 of those). Ten were for a surgery she had and the rest were just chronic illnesses- the surgery took care of that but she didn't have surgery until the end of the school year.

 

[IDoDis]

Yeah, mine had an appendectomy, I guess I should have sent him in the day after surgery. People have no clue. If your kid never gets sick or injured consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, get over yourself.

Yours and others examples are things that obviously could happen, but this is not the situation with the OP. She said her DS was never seen by a doctor and he just had colds & flu and this has been going on since he was little. Your situation is obviously different and no one here was referencing situations like that. The OP's issue is an ongoing issue year after year.