Does anyone else have issues with the strict attendance policies in public schools?

Question

I really am upset about the policies recently adopted by schools, that are in place to assure that they get the money from the state for each child.....rather than to keep the childs welfare in mind.

I always find myself frustrated when my daughter isn't feeling well. There is no way you can assign a certain amount of days that a child may miss due to illness.

I do not believe in taking my daughter to the doctor every time she develops a cold or fever. First, it contributes to the overuse of antibiotcs....and secondly, if I send her with a fever....isn't that exposing other kids to her illness. AND, aren't other parents sending their sick kids....and exposing her?!

This whole situation is frustrating and riciculous.

I AM NOT going to run to the doctor everytime she isn't feeling well to obtain the required doctors excuse for a bunch of beaurocrats in the school system.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm 14 in 8th grade and go to public school. Our school also has a very strict policy. You can only be absent 5 days every marking term.

If you exceed those 5 days in that term without a note from a doctor or the court or if it was a family death then you are put on the restricted list. You basically can't do anything, no activities, no school dances, no staying after school...nothing.

I have an issue with it because when I get sick or I'm just under the weather, like you said my mom isn't going to bring me to the doctor, because it's only like a 24 or less hour bug. Our term just ended and I think I was absent 4 times almost restricted list. I agree with you the attendance policies are bogus.

Answer 2

Public schools are so strict because, while you obviously care a great deal about your child, some parents don't. Keep that in mind. Some parents don't care whether their child ever gets to school or not, and if the kids are going to get educated the school has to take matters into their own hands.

Keep an active line of communication with the school's principal. If she is ever threatened for missing too many days, be in that office in someone's face. Take an active role in this, and your child won't get burned. You can't help it if she's sick. A doctor's excuse once in a while is nice, but sometimes a flu bug is just a flu bug and you have to wait it out. If you aren't talking to the principal when these situations arise, however, you're going to have a problem. Show them that you care and that you are involved. You'll be amazed how willing they'll be to work with you.

Answer 3

By the time my brother made it to highschool, they had adopted such strict policies that I never would have graduated. They had a 10-day limit, with absolutely nothing excused. My sophomore year, I missed 10 days due to a fatal (and several states away) car accident that my grandparents were in and I missed another 5 or so due to a kidney infection. My senior year, I just showed up enough to get a signature on my diploma.

Answer 4

I think that the reason that schools are cracking down on this is because they receive a certain amount of money per student per day. So when your child is absent they do not get that money. My sister in law got a letter that if her twins miss one more day of school they will have to go to court. I think that this is ridiculous! Her children just happen to be sickly kids who are prone to ear infections. As a mom of grade school children I want parents to keep their snot nose kids home so my kids don't get sick. Maybe this policy should be reserved for the parents that blatantly are negligent insted of targeting conscientious parents who do the right thing and keep sick kids home.

Answer 5

The school social worker sent me a nasty form letter letting me know that my daughter had four UNLAWFUL absences. Not only did I send her an email requesting copies of her records, I had her and the principal on the telephone. It turns out they're too incompetent to maintain their records and are just now investigating absences from November when my daughter was treated in the hospital for a viral infection! Thank goodness I was able to correct their error, but it was an interesting example of the Beaufort, SC public school system at work!

Answer 6

As a teacher, I can tell you that my colleagues and I certainly don't condone sending your child to school sick. We usually make comments to one another about how it's negligent and irresponsible to knowingly send a sick child to school. Your school's teachers no doubt feel the same way. Maybe my county is extremely lax, but I think our policy is something like 20 days a semester. It might be a year, but either way- that seems like plenty of days to miss. Twenty a year is roughly 11% of the school year. Twenty-five percent a year is 45 days, which is what many colleges use. It's not so much the number but the percentage of the school year. Missing more than 10% of the school year seems excessive to me.

Answer 7

I'm a teacher and don't like it when parents send their sick children to school. They often infect other children and adults, creating more absences.

Many school districts are clamping down on truancy and, unfortuntately, you're being affected by the strict policies. You must remember that schools are being held accountable for the academic successes and failures of their students (No Child Left Behind). Truancy is a big problem that affects test scores.

Answer 8

My school expects us to keep in touch with the school and let them know when children are going to be away due to illness or have diary note written and signed by a parent.Yes like you I amnot going to the doctors evrey time my daughter is sick.Sometimes its just a matter of rest. Once I took my daughter to school and she had tummy pains.I got a call inthe afternoon to get her because she vomited.If there is the slightest risk of a virus like that I use my instinct and keep her home..Now lots of schools are using absentee lines especially high schools.If the child does not turn up or the parent does not call the school rings the parents to see where the student is.They are trying to cut back on kids playing truant which is fair enough.Unfortunately there are kids who dont got to school because the parents cant be bothered to which is sad because majority of the time they are the ones struggling to learn to read and write.I know because as a past volunteer I spent extra time with these kids.schools have policies in place to reduce truancy.

Answer 9

My kids go to Columbus schools and they have the same policy-you are only allowed to miss 9 days without a Doctor's excuse, after that you have to get a note from the Dr to have them excused-I find myself having to send my child to school ill and it makes me feel bad, but, there isn't anything that I can do about it.I agree with you -it is ridiculous.

Answer 10

I get you completely! I'm 15, and a freshman in high school. I tend to suffer from horrible migraines, and last year, since I was on swim team, I got sick a lot. Ear infections, Strep (got my tonsils out at 5), you name it.

But even that wasn't so much my problem. I would come in a minute or two late, and I mean A MINUTE, and I'd get marked as an illegal tardy. See, my bus has these gangster/whores on it, and it's too crowded to ride, so I never rode it.

I ended up getting a truancy notice, and brought into court.