Interesting situation... School absence... Opinions?

[AKL_Megs]

My second cousin (I guess... she is my cousin's daughter) just graduated and had perfect attendance all through high school. She never missed a day in all four years! She WAS eligible for a great scholarship for her perfect attendance, but because of two instances, the school is claiming that she was absent twice.

The first "absence" happened the day her grandfather passed away. (She had a "student assistant" type of class before lunch where she did things like stuff envelopes, answer phones for the counseler, etc., during the period before lunch.) Her parents had gotten permission from the principal to let them take her out of the "class" a half hour early, to take her and her younger brother to lunch and let them know what happened. She was back in time for her afternoon classes.

The second "absence" happened on a morning that she wasn't feeling well, but went to school. About 15 minutes into first period, she started getting nauseous and dizzy, so she went to the school nurse for about a half hour, and then returned to class for the rest of the period. The teacher had marked her absent.

My cousin is currently protesting and has a meeting with the principal and school board, as now her DD's scholarship is on the line.

I'm not sure who is right... but either way, it doesn't seem fair.

 

[piglet too]

Neither one of those instances would have counted as an absence at my son's high school. I hope they are able to get this worked out and she can get the scholarship.

 

[Magic Mom]

I think if she left school, she is absent. I don't agree with the school nurse incident though. That one doesn't seem like an absence to me.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

The school, IMHO, is stretching the definition of "absence" for those instances. Really - for a kid to go back to afternoon classes after being told a grandparent passed away! Being "absent" for lunch plus what I equate to a study hall and then again for a partial class period because she felt sick?!? Please! I do hope your cousin gets them to reverse those absent marks from DD's record.

 

[DizBelle]

I think if she left school, she is absent. I don't agree with the school nurse incident though. That one doesn't seem like an absence to me.

I share this opinion.

 

[powellrj]

They both would have been counted as an absence at our school. They take and count attendance by each period, not the whole day.

 

[krcit]

That stinks! I hope it gets straightened out. I wouldn't consider either of those instances absences.

 

[Tinkermommy]

I certainly hope she gets her scholarship. I didn't even know that perfect attendance was ever a factor for them.

I have to say, I hate perfect attendance awards!

I think they drive the wrong behavior because some parents will send their child to school sick so they can get an award. That in turn makes more kids sick.

If your child is sick, they should stay home. I think our school got rid of this award since they want people to keep their kids home when they are sick. We got several notices this year about this during the swine flu outbreak (which my DD got).

So it's great if your child never gets sick, but it's not something that is a real accomplishment in my eyes.

OP, I would really hate it if my child were not given a scholarship because of this. I don't think attendance should be a factor unless they have too many.

 

[Magpie]

I don't think they should be tying scholarship monies into attendance at all. Unless, that is, you want turn your school into a festering pit of disease as sick kids drag themselves into class in the hope of getting a cash prize.

However, that said, I think your cousin earned her scholarship fairly - assuming she has the best attendance record in the school.

Which is a big assumption. Is there another child who was lucky enough to get through with NO absences of any kind whatsoever? Because then that child is more deserving of the scholarship, even if her only advantage is having no dead relatives and a constitution of iron.

 

[kaytieeldr]

They both would have been counted as an absence at our school. They take and count attendance by each period, not the whole day.

Really? So if there were, say, seven periods per day and a student were out sick for a week - that's 35 absences? How many are allowed before it's a problem?

 

[dimimi]

Neither one of those instances would have counted as an absence at my son's high school. I hope they are able to get this worked out and she can get the scholarship.

I agree! I'm hoping it works out!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Really? So if there were, say, seven periods per day and a student were out sick for a week - that's 35 absences? How many are allowed before it's a problem?

We have that system as well. So the school would have counted the lunch as an "excused absence" which is still an absence.

I get nasty grams all yr about dd's absence's. I just make sure to turn in a note so everything is documented. Oh and I copy the note and have them on file, just in case. Have not got called to the carpet yet.

 

[heatherwillmom]

I agree with hating Perfect Attendance Awards. I can't tell you how many parents brag about their child never missing school, but then tell how many times that they sent them to school sick .I am a Health Care Provider. I have had many sick children come into my office telling me about being with another child at school who was sick. Once a child came in with strep throat & said that she had a classmate who came to school with a fever of 103 & a sore throat the day before. I really am a big fan of home schooling after all of the sickness problems. If I wasn't in my current profession, I would be home schooling my children. As it is, I make sure that if my children are sick, they stay home. I also give them both small bottles of hand sanitizer for their back packs

 

[CF'er]

I hope they don't count these as absences either. That is awful.

As an aside.... at this year's awards day we got to hear a speech by the Assistant Principal before they announced perfect attendance for both the semester and year. How we would continue to hear these same names throughout the program getting other awards since attendance is so important to getting a good education.... blah blah blah. I was pretty ticked off. My kids stay home when they are sick. Period. One of my kids was out a week running a pretty high fever. They COULDN"T go to school. The school would have called me to come get them. Next year I'm tempted to send them anyway and tell the clerk who calls to send them to the Asst. Prin. office since the kids being there is so important to her.

 

[design_mom]

At my children's school, if the child misses 5-29 minutes of class (either at the beginning or end) it counts as a "tardy," and if they miss more than 30 minutes, it counts as a half-day absence. (Every doctor's appointment registers as a 1/2 day.)

I think the policy is overly strict, but at my kids' school, I think leaving for lunch would count as an absence since she missed "class time" (even if it wasn't an academic class.) I don't think the nurse's office should count, especially since she didn't leave the school.

I'm sorry if she doesn't qualify for the attendance scholarship though. THat's a shame... or, at least, it's a shame that the attendance rules were not clear from the beginning and she thought she was eligible.

P.S. I agree with hating the perfect attendance awards. "Good attendance" awards (no unexcused absences) are fine...but sometimes missing school is unavoidable and children shouldn't be excluded for missing school for a valid reason.

ETA: I also meant to mention that i think your cousin's daughter is your "first cousin, once removed." I also have a number of cousins' kids who are graduating this year and I looked it up. Very confusing, isn't it?

 

[EMom]

Did they get state funding for those two days? If so, then she was not absent. That's what matters in TX anyway. That is what counts as "officially" present. Were you in the school building when attendance was taken at the magic moment when school funding is a yes/no matter? Alas, she was not in Texas.....

Anyway.....the cynic in me wants to know what student is in line to get this scholarship other than your relative. Is it possible....just possible......that they are streeeeeeeeeeeetching the definition of absent so that someone else will qualify instead of her? Just a thought. School politics, ya know.

If it was my child, I'd keep going up the food chain and working on this one. Is there ANY documentation to back up that this sort of thing constitutes an absence? I ask because clearly it varies from place to place. Here, neither would be an absence.

Seriously, attendance is taken at 9:00. Pick your kid up at 9:01 and leave for the day and they are "present" for the entire day. Arrive with them at 9:01 and have them stay for the rest of the day and they are "absent." Geez, I guess you could walk in at 8:59 and walk out again at 9:01 and be "present" for the day.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

At both high schools that I've worked at, attendance is counted in the first 10 minutes of each period and then the attendance sheet is send to the office. If a student is there for the first 10 minutes, even if they leave early, they are counted as present. So, in both schools that I taught in, those would not be counted as absences.

 

[Cindy B]

I had a similar instance. I had "perfect" attendance as weill for all four years, however my bus would always be very late. We were in a very rural area and it would take an hour to get to school

After so many "lates" we would be marked absent. I fought and the lates got marked down to one absence.

 

[AKL_Megs]

She is the ONLY student who was even CLOSE to being eligible. That was why she applied for the scholarship (they give one a year per school that participates.)

The thing that gets me is that the principal, when my cousin called after the death, said that under the circumstances, he would allow her to leave early, and not be marked absent. I guess the school board, or whatever PTB disagreed. That is why she is fighting. (The scholarship doesn't even come from the SCHOOL DISTRICT! That is what is crazy!)

Just thought it would be an interesting Dis topic!

 

[RachelEllen]

I suppose there's not much to say if it is a private scholarship, but if not, how incredibly offensive. A "lucky to be healthy and Christain award?" (I know there are some schools, mainly in the Northeast that have days off for Jewish holidays, but I've never run across one in the South)

If the scholarship is out there, I wish your cousin all the best in getting it. But this really rubs me the wrong way. Of all the awards at school, perfect attendance is rarely about anything the kid actually does well or gives effort too or anything except being lucky enough to be healthy and having parents that don't take them out of school.