This is a message I received today from my school district's "Chief Academic Officer"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“COVID is a big problem in our community. We are going to pretend that planning engaging lessons will solve it.” There’s the email.

I just got out of an attendance meeting where administrators were blaming parents for keeping their kids home and telling us teachers to do everything we could to encourage students to come every day.

I'm like "Not if they are sick thought, right??"

Our school is in the habit of sending students back to class after they vomit and allowing them to return less than 24 hours after being sent home with a fever. No surprise we've had a ton of staff sick, too. It's hard to execute an engaging lesson when you feel like crap but get hassled for taking off more than one day because there's a shortage of subs.

[Anonymous]

Is English not first language?

Agree this is all fluff. They could just say, “Your child is expected to be in school on time, every day.”

[Anonymous]

Even a computer program could have strung together a bunch of empty cliches better than that. Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“COVID is a big problem in our community. We are going to pretend that planning engaging lessons will solve it.” There’s the email.

I just got out of an attendance meeting where administrators were blaming parents for keeping their kids home and telling us teachers to do everything we could to encourage students to come every day.

I'm like "Not if they are sick thought, right??"

Our school is in the habit of sending students back to class after they vomit and allowing them to return less than 24 hours after being sent home with a fever. No surprise we've had a ton of staff sick, too. It's hard to execute an engaging lesson when you feel like crap but get hassled for taking off more than one day because there's a shortage of subs.

I work in school clinics. There’s an ongoing problem where teachers send students down all bundled up, with backpacks on and carrying lunchboxes. The kid will tell me, “my teacher says I’m probably going home” since (she felt my head/says I have a fever…I coughed/have been coughing…I told her I threw up…says I look tired…” and on and on and on.

I assess and talk to the student. Sometimes I call a parent who demands I send back to class as there is no reason for parent to race in to pick up this kid.

I send kid back to class and sometimes get a nasty phone call and or visit from classroom teacher lobbying their case, “no fever? Really? I don’t want to have my whole class out sick and she looks awful and it just not one to complain” or “I’m gonna call Mom. You don’t know her like I do. Kid reallly needs to be at home”

[Anonymous]

And another thing, kids lie or fudge the truth. I’ve heard some Oscar worthy performances where kids leave a bathroom two feet in front of me and claim “vomit” yet there’s not an errant splash, excessive toilet flushing, hands washed - not even a whiff of puke in the air.

I send dozens of smiling, laughing nearly joyous kids back to class after they’ve complained they’ve just thrown up and or feel like they are about to throw up. Kids also tell me they’ve vomited but what they really mean is they burped and got a bad taste of stomach acid in the back of their throat.

[Anonymous]

I’ve also dealt with a shrieking, crying kindergartener who came in with two other classmates from the playground, no adult accompaniment who’d clearly broken his arm falling off a playground piece. I find that the more serious the situation, the more likely that there is NOT teacher or adult initial involvement.

I’ve said too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very odd writing style. The content of the message is equally strange. But seriously, it's really weird to be obsessed over a few errors or whatever.

Dear hipster,

I believe the word is spelled “whatevs” by your generation (not that grammar matters, “or anything”).

Yes, it does matter to grammar nerds. To the rest of the world, not so much. I'm 70 and drive an old Ford Fiesta, so not exactly a hipster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is English not first language?

Agree this is all fluff. They could just say, “Your child is expected to be in school on time, every day.”

Or better yet, say nothing. Do admin really think that parents don't know their children are supposed to be in school every day? Our district does this too and it's a total waste of paper and envelopes a dozen times a year to every family enrolled in the school district. Could have spent that money on school supplies instead of making the teachers beg for it from parents via amazon wish lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is English not first language?

Agree this is all fluff. They could just say, “Your child is expected to be in school on time, every day.”

Perhaps someone who has not mastered English should not be hired as the "Chief Academic Officer." Would love to see which District this is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is English not first language?

Agree this is all fluff. They could just say, “Your child is expected to be in school on time, every day.”

Perhaps someone who has not mastered English should not be hired as the "Chief Academic Officer." Would love to see which District this is.

OP said it’s a large urban school district… just saying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is English not first language?

Agree this is all fluff. They could just say, “Your child is expected to be in school on time, every day.”

Or better yet, say nothing. Do admin really think that parents don't know their children are supposed to be in school every day? Our district does this too and it's a total waste of paper and envelopes a dozen times a year to every family enrolled in the school district. Could have spent that money on school supplies instead of making the teachers beg for it from parents via amazon wish lists.

Then why do kids keep coming in late?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“COVID is a big problem in our community. We are going to pretend that planning engaging lessons will solve it.” There’s the email.

I just got out of an attendance meeting where administrators were blaming parents for keeping their kids home and telling us teachers to do everything we could to encourage students to come every day.

I'm like "Not if they are sick thought, right??"

Our school is in the habit of sending students back to class after they vomit and allowing them to return less than 24 hours after being sent home with a fever. No surprise we've had a ton of staff sick, too. It's hard to execute an engaging lesson when you feel like crap but get hassled for taking off more than one day because there's a shortage of subs.

I work in school clinics. There’s an ongoing problem where teachers send students down all bundled up, with backpacks on and carrying lunchboxes. The kid will tell me, “my teacher says I’m probably going home” since (she felt my head/says I have a fever…I coughed/have been coughing…I told her I threw up…says I look tired…” and on and on and on.

I assess and talk to the student. Sometimes I call a parent who demands I send back to class as there is no reason for parent to race in to pick up this kid.

I send kid back to class and sometimes get a nasty phone call and or visit from classroom teacher lobbying their case, “no fever? Really? I don’t want to have my whole class out sick and she looks awful and it just not one to complain” or “I’m gonna call Mom. You don’t know her like I do. Kid reallly needs to be at home”

This is not the issue. The issue is kids who vomit in class—with multiple witnesses— and are sent back from the clinic because they don’t have a fever or parents couldn’t be reached. When they vomit a second time, it’s really hard not to say, “I told you so”. There are also the students who get sent home with a fever. No idea why they are allowed back the next day; presumably the main office doesn’t want to inconvenience the parents and doesn’t really care because their exposure to the student throughout the day is minimal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And another thing, kids lie or fudge the truth. I’ve heard some Oscar worthy performances where kids leave a bathroom two feet in front of me and claim “vomit” yet there’s not an errant splash, excessive toilet flushing, hands washed - not even a whiff of puke in the air.

I send dozens of smiling, laughing nearly joyous kids back to class after they’ve complained they’ve just thrown up and or feel like they are about to throw up. Kids also tell me they’ve vomited but what they really mean is they burped and got a bad taste of stomach acid in the back of their throat.

How about making them sit on a cot for 30 minutes while you "evaluate how they feel." Staring at the ceiling for a half hour is pretty boring and might make them less likely to try this again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And another thing, kids lie or fudge the truth. I’ve heard some Oscar worthy performances where kids leave a bathroom two feet in front of me and claim “vomit” yet there’s not an errant splash, excessive toilet flushing, hands washed - not even a whiff of puke in the air.

I send dozens of smiling, laughing nearly joyous kids back to class after they’ve complained they’ve just thrown up and or feel like they are about to throw up. Kids also tell me they’ve vomited but what they really mean is they burped and got a bad taste of stomach acid in the back of their throat.

How about making them sit on a cot for 30 minutes while you "evaluate how they feel." Staring at the ceiling for a half hour is pretty boring and might make them less likely to try this again.

PP and 30 minutes is entirely too long for this assessment.
I give ‘em 10 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And another thing, kids lie or fudge the truth. I’ve heard some Oscar worthy performances where kids leave a bathroom two feet in front of me and claim “vomit” yet there’s not an errant splash, excessive toilet flushing, hands washed - not even a whiff of puke in the air.

I send dozens of smiling, laughing nearly joyous kids back to class after they’ve complained they’ve just thrown up and or feel like they are about to throw up. Kids also tell me they’ve vomited but what they really mean is they burped and got a bad taste of stomach acid in the back of their throat.

How about making them sit on a cot for 30 minutes while you "evaluate how they feel." Staring at the ceiling for a half hour is pretty boring and might make them less likely to try this again.

PP and 30 minutes is entirely too long for this assessment.
I give ‘em 10 minutes.

The point is to make it more painful than staying in class next time.