Excused absences for taking children out of MD public schools (January 2022)

[Anonymous]

For most of the school districts in MD, now that Gov Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency for 30 days (Jan 4, 2022 - Feb 3, 2022), if you choose to take your children out of school due to Covid-19, Delta or Omicron, you can request that the absences be listed as excused absences and not as unexcused absences.

Howard County Public Schools:
https://policy.hcpss.org/9000/9010/implementation/?fbclid=IwAR0GjSndpSgHpmVDy-uuErFjUCo4kzIbkEowsHtXfJCdFzoyCPIkYyz3Hf0
Policy 9010.III.H

III. Lawful/Excused Absence
Students presently enrolled in public schools are considered lawfully absent from school, including absence for any portion of the day, and may receive make-up work under the following conditions:
[...]
H. State emergency – The Governor/designee makes these determinations.

Prince George's County Public Schools:
https://ektron.pgcps.org/.../Lawful---Unlawful-Attendance/

Lawful Absence
Absence from school, including absence for any portion of the day, shall be considered lawful
only for the following reasons:
[...]
 State of emergency

Montgomery County Public Schools:
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/jeara.pdf

Determining Whether an Absence Is Lawful or Unlawful
d) Students enrolled in public schools are considered lawfully absent
from school, including absence for any portion of the day, only
under the following conditions: [1]
[...]
(8) State emergency

[1] Lawful absences are to be considered as excused absences.

Most of the county school systems in MD will have the same language embedded in their school policies. So, if you choose to keep your children home, do not allow the school system to mark them unexcused, at least through February 3.

[Anonymous]

We asked our principal what would happen with absences id we held our child out until 2 weeks post booster. They told us absences about be excused and not to worry.

I can’t promise yours will be as kind and understanding, but I’d encourage parents who are considering a similar strategy to reach out, be clear, and be kind when asking.

It helped that our plan is finite and related to a booster timetable. Not sure how to advise parents with 5-11s who are really worried. I can see how that might be tougher and I know everyone has different circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Interesting, I did not know this.

Parents if you want to keep your students home from school for COVID related reasons, PLEASE communicate with the MD state Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Mohammed Choudhury. He needs to know that not every parent is clamoring for in person instruction at this time.

[Anonymous]

What happens to high schoolers and their grades? Now that colleges are test-optional, grades matter more than ever.

Can schools calculate a grade based on what the student has handed in prior to the excused absence, and not penalize them for what they have missed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What happens to high schoolers and their grades? Now that colleges are test-optional, grades matter more than ever.

Can schools calculate a grade based on what the student has handed in prior to the excused absence, and not penalize them for what they have missed?

Even in the case of excused absences, students must make up the work. But the school should give them time to do so if necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What happens to high schoolers and their grades? Now that colleges are test-optional, grades matter more than ever.

Can schools calculate a grade based on what the student has handed in prior to the excused absence, and not penalize them for what they have missed?

I would suggest pulling your child out to homeschool them versus relying on the school to somehow provide adequate instruction for little Larla who can't be exposed to covid19 even vaccinated and boosted.
Why should teachers and the school system provide extra support to your family when school has been deemed safe and appropriate in person for your county? Because you choose to not agree with public health officials? Because teachers want parents to cause drama and pull their children out because of the state of emergency so they can say, "look! see! Parents don't even want to their kids here?"

If you don't need in-person instruction and your child will thrive at home, homeschool them and avoid covid19 until the pandemic ends. Don't add to work of the overworked and stretched thin teaching staff to somehow keep your child up to speed or be added to the already long list of legitimately quarantined students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, I did not know this.

Parents if you want to keep your students home from school for COVID related reasons, PLEASE communicate with the MD state Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Mohammed Choudhury. He needs to know that not every parent is clamoring for in person instruction at this time.

Homeschool your children. Find a full year virtual program.

[Anonymous]

+11 to the homeschool suggestions above. What good is excused vs. unexcused absences? Who cares?

If your child is old enough for being home, or too young and you want them home, the most important thing is that they keep learning, right? Focus your energies to teaching them yourself rather than piling onto teachers to make special allowances / differences for one student vs. the class.

There's a swathe of middle students, students with mental/social needs who are vaxxed and need to be in-person with their teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+11 to the homeschool suggestions above. What good is excused vs. unexcused absences? Who cares?

If your child is old enough for being home, or too young and you want them home, the most important thing is that they keep learning, right? Focus your energies to teaching them yourself rather than piling onto teachers to make special allowances / differences for one student vs. the class.

There's a swathe of middle students, students with mental/social needs who are vaxxed and need to be in-person with their teachers.

+ a million. Some of us our having our asymptomatic students forced out with zero support while quarantined. What you are looking to do is all voluntary.
Resources need to go to the students staying with in person, not your boutique requests.

[Anonymous]

I'm tired of arguing with the sociopaths that infect every thread. If only they knew how much I want them to be right and me to be an alarmist... IF the numbers are not insane we might send our kids back next week. If they continue their vertical climb, we will not.

It's not just about our kid. I wish you people got that.

Then again, if you did, there might not be this vertical climb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+11 to the homeschool suggestions above. What good is excused vs. unexcused absences? Who cares?

If your child is old enough for being home, or too young and you want them home, the most important thing is that they keep learning, right? Focus your energies to teaching them yourself rather than piling onto teachers to make special allowances / differences for one student vs. the class.

There's a swathe of middle students, students with mental/social needs who are vaxxed and need to be in-person with their teachers.

+ a million. Some of us our having our asymptomatic students forced out with zero support while quarantined. What you are looking to do is all voluntary.
Resources need to go to the students staying with in person, not your boutique requests.

Here is a lovely man whining that his kids can't go to school and infect other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+11 to the homeschool suggestions above. What good is excused vs. unexcused absences? Who cares?

If your child is old enough for being home, or too young and you want them home, the most important thing is that they keep learning, right? Focus your energies to teaching them yourself rather than piling onto teachers to make special allowances / differences for one student vs. the class.

There's a swathe of middle students, students with mental/social needs who are vaxxed and need to be in-person with their teachers.

+ a million. Some of us our having our asymptomatic students forced out with zero support while quarantined. What you are looking to do is all voluntary.
Resources need to go to the students staying with in person, not your boutique requests.

Here is a lovely man whining that his kids can't go to school and infect other people.

On what planet am I a man? Oh that’s right, the democratic planet everyone can choose their sex planet.
I’m saying that I want my kid in school, you don’t want your kids in school. You are making a choice while I am not given one. Like all the keep closed forever crowd chanted last year- you don’t like what’s being offered, pull your kids out and homeschool or pay for private virtual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What happens to high schoolers and their grades? Now that colleges are test-optional, grades matter more than ever.

Can schools calculate a grade based on what the student has handed in prior to the excused absence, and not penalize them for what they have missed?

I would suggest pulling your child out to homeschool them versus relying on the school to somehow provide adequate instruction for little Larla who can't be exposed to covid19 even vaccinated and boosted.
Why should teachers and the school system provide extra support to your family when school has been deemed safe and appropriate in person for your county? Because you choose to not agree with public health officials? Because teachers want parents to cause drama and pull their children out because of the state of emergency so they can say, "look! see! Parents don't even want to their kids here?"

If you don't need in-person instruction and your child will thrive at home, homeschool them and avoid covid19 until the pandemic ends. Don't add to work of the overworked and stretched thin teaching staff to somehow keep your child up to speed or be added to the already long list of legitimately quarantined students.

There are some people who are pulling their children out, not because they are concerned that the children are at risk, but that the children are putting other family members at risk. I know one parent who has a 2nd grader and also has 4 yo twins who have severe lung issues and have been in and out of the hospital with RSV multiple times. There is no vaccination for RSV and the twins are too young to be vaccinated for Covid-19. The parents checked and the pediatrician and pulmonologist have said that all of the local hospitals that these doctors have admission privileges to are full and not accepting patients except ER patients and also both hospitals ICU's are full. They said that essentially the family would have to rely on 911 and being taken to whatever hospital had available space and that the family would have to rely on the pulmonologists on staff there.

The concern here is that the older sibling could easily be exposed and be a carrier and bring Covid back and infect the two younger siblings who are both extremely high risk. Their doctors have recommended that the family do whatever they can to reduce transmission risk, so the parents are trying to keep the 2nd grader at home, but would like some form of education to continue or at a minimum, want the absences to be excused.

The point is that the school district needs to be flexible. One size does not fit all. There are 57K students in HCPSS and there isn't going to be one solution that works for everyone. I agree that they should keep the schools open, but even if there are no options for virtual schooling, they should at least excuse the absences of those who have special circumstances. We've made it a rule that schools must accommodate children with special needs. They should also be able to accommodate children who have families with special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What happens to high schoolers and their grades? Now that colleges are test-optional, grades matter more than ever.

Can schools calculate a grade based on what the student has handed in prior to the excused absence, and not penalize them for what they have missed?

I would suggest pulling your child out to homeschool them versus relying on the school to somehow provide adequate instruction for little Larla who can't be exposed to covid19 even vaccinated and boosted.
Why should teachers and the school system provide extra support to your family when school has been deemed safe and appropriate in person for your county? Because you choose to not agree with public health officials? Because teachers want parents to cause drama and pull their children out because of the state of emergency so they can say, "look! see! Parents don't even want to their kids here?"

If you don't need in-person instruction and your child will thrive at home, homeschool them and avoid covid19 until the pandemic ends. Don't add to work of the overworked and stretched thin teaching staff to somehow keep your child up to speed or be added to the already long list of legitimately quarantined students.

There are some people who are pulling their children out, not because they are concerned that the children are at risk, but that the children are putting other family members at risk. I know one parent who has a 2nd grader and also has 4 yo twins who have severe lung issues and have been in and out of the hospital with RSV multiple times. There is no vaccination for RSV and the twins are too young to be vaccinated for Covid-19. The parents checked and the pediatrician and pulmonologist have said that all of the local hospitals that these doctors have admission privileges to are full and not accepting patients except ER patients and also both hospitals ICU's are full. They said that essentially the family would have to rely on 911 and being taken to whatever hospital had available space and that the family would have to rely on the pulmonologists on staff there.

The concern here is that the older sibling could easily be exposed and be a carrier and bring Covid back and infect the two younger siblings who are both extremely high risk. Their doctors have recommended that the family do whatever they can to reduce transmission risk, so the parents are trying to keep the 2nd grader at home, but would like some form of education to continue or at a minimum, want the absences to be excused.

The point is that the school district needs to be flexible. One size does not fit all. There are 57K students in HCPSS and there isn't going to be one solution that works for everyone. I agree that they should keep the schools open, but even if there are no options for virtual schooling, they should at least excuse the absences of those who have special circumstances. We've made it a rule that schools must accommodate children with special needs. They should also be able to accommodate children who have families with special needs.

This is not what is happening for the vast majority of these posts. The parents who are helping the teachers Union like the online Facebook group of activists who have gone extremist and tried to start movements to keep schools closed and convince parents to choose against hybrid schooling in the spring are now trying to start an online wave of parents who choose to keep their kids home for the state of emergency.

It’s transparent hysteria and it’s a waste of resources.
Homeschooling exists to keep your high risk family safe during omicron. You can return to in person school whenever you choose. Do not use resources which are there for legitimately quarantined students because online misinformation posts have told you this is the way to get the county’s attention and keep schools safe.

Every public health official agrees that schools are safe for the vast majority of students.
The homeschool forum on here recommends Time4Learning and PowerSchool Homeschool as mature virtual homeschooling options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm tired of arguing with the sociopaths that infect every thread. If only they knew how much I want them to be right and me to be an alarmist... IF the numbers are not insane we might send our kids back next week. If they continue their vertical climb, we will not.

It's not just about our kid. I wish you people got that.

Then again, if you did, there might not be this vertical climb.

It’s not that you are an alarmist for believing that omicron will continue to spike, it’s that there are ways to pull your child out of in person schooling without wasting the virtual resources of those students who are in quarantine.

Virtual school and homeschool programs are robust and available for as low as $25/month per student. You do not need to stress the public education system by using a loophole in attendance policy to make your own one-off type of choice. Your child will be excused from school but they will not be somehow eligible for virtual learning or support to keep up with content. If your child is in middle or high school, you will be making a choice that will definitely impact their education.

I haven’t met many people in person who are worried enough to choose to keep their children home but I also work during the day and I’m not hanging out with a crowd who have the privilege to choose to keep their children home because they feel they know what is safe and the school system does not.

I’m vaccinated, boosted and my child is too. He’s a high schooler who is happy to be on campus. We stay home, stay distant and stay safe after work and school. So far, so good.