Why do so many parents let their kids just stay home?

[Anonymous]

Why do so many parents let their kids just stay home?
Why?
I will understand when they are sick, or every now and then, but missing over 10 days a school year? Why? They don't feel like going so they don't go?

[Anonymous]

We don't know "these parents" of students you are talking about. What led you to post this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't know "these parents" of students you are talking about. What led you to post this?

Some of them have to be on this site. They are over 20%

[Anonymous]

says who?

[Anonymous]

Its easy to miss 10 days. My kids had bad strep in the fall and both missed 5 -6 days each. A few other illnesses or doctor appointments and you are easily up to 10.

[Anonymous]

Why does it bother you what other people do?

You worry about you.

[Anonymous]

I have always taken my child out of school to do more educational activities when it makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Once schools showed society that (1) the school systems didn't see any value in physical attendance or schools being open and (2) parents saw how little information was being taught in one day or class----> family's attitudes about attendance really changed. Why not go to Disney when its cheaper or extend that overseas trip by a few days?

[Anonymous]

My attitude toward the value of school has definitely gone down hill. The school day is remarkably inefficient, and it is easy to make up assignments. Half the school year is just glorified day care, which I don't need. I get that some family's need it but that is not a hole that schools should be filling. As I understand the school's view, you should go just to go, and they'll cite you a bunch of statistics to show my kid is going to end up as a drug-dealing high school dropout. Anyone who is willing to exercise a little common sense in understanding those stats knows they are highly unlikely to hold true for "problem" families like mine who are making conscious reasoned choices rather than engaging in neglect. The only thing that keeps me from missing more school is that my kids actually like going most of the time, and I don't feel like fielding nasty-grams from the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My attitude toward the value of school has definitely gone down hill. The school day is remarkably inefficient, and it is easy to make up assignments. Half the school year is just glorified day care, which I don't need. I get that some family's need it but that is not a hole that schools should be filling. As I understand the school's view, you should go just to go, and they'll cite you a bunch of statistics to show my kid is going to end up as a drug-dealing high school dropout. Anyone who is willing to exercise a little common sense in understanding those stats knows they are highly unlikely to hold true for "problem" families like mine who are making conscious reasoned choices rather than engaging in neglect. The only thing that keeps me from missing more school is that my kids actually like going most of the time, and I don't feel like fielding nasty-grams from the school.

+100.

We aren't in the group of people who have missed more than 10 days, but my concern over mid-day doctor's appointments has plummeted as my kids have been in school. The school day is structured so poorly that I just no longer care.

[Anonymous]

Get the computers out of school and attendance would rebound. It’s too easy to stay home with Google Classroom. It makes school seem optional and transactional.

Ed Tech is a scam ruining the next generation.

[Anonymous]

Covid. The answer is always Covid.

[Anonymous]

There’s zero real curriculum so you’re not missing anything.

They’re not in class with peers when half the kids can’t speak English.

It’s too violent.

[Anonymous]

Yet all of you send your kids to public school and complain about it….

[Anonymous]

My kid stays home when sick. In elementary school we traveled during the school year as it was much cheaper. Not all of us are wealthy. We haven’t traveled since Covid but stopped in ms.