B-CC Kids Confess They Skip Because There Are No Consequences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One B-CC junior who has had 189 unexcused absences so far this school year

That's amazing since there are only 160 school days in the year, and we just started Q4! But if they've managed to manipulate space-time like that, I guess they don't need to be in school!

Or maybe we shouldn't give this article much credibility...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One B-CC junior who has had 189 unexcused absences so far this school year

That's amazing since there are only 160 school days in the year, and we just started Q4! But if they've managed to manipulate space-time like that, I guess they don't need to be in school!

Or maybe we shouldn't give this article much credibility...

No, there are 182 school days in the year. And it seems obvious that the 189 unexcused absences refers to the number of class periods marked absent, not the number of days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One B-CC junior who has had 189 unexcused absences so far this school year

That's amazing since there are only 160 school days in the year, and we just started Q4! But if they've managed to manipulate space-time like that, I guess they don't need to be in school!

Or maybe we shouldn't give this article much credibility...

Maybe the 189 is counting each class absence separately. For example, one day is 7 periods so that is 7 absences.

[Anonymous]

There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a magnet HS in the 80s. We skipped class a lot . Sometimes I skipped to study for a test in another class. Sometimes I skipped to catch up on sleep because I had stayed up late to finish work or study. Sometimes I skipped to sit in on a class that I was self-studying for the AP. Sometimes I skipped to go to Pizza Hut.

You know when I didn't skip? When the class was covering material that I needed to learn. Most of the time I was skipping, it was the mandated stuff like Health class in which no substance was ever conveyed, or classes where the teacher was absent or had already announced we would be watching a movie or working on our papers or something.

My teen is pretty much the same. She is working pretty much round the clock on her activities and her classes. Does she skip class? Yes. Particularly when she knows the teacher is out, or when they have one of their catch-up days when no new material is covered. I'm not really losing any sleep over that. There are a lot of exams that can't be re-taken, and exams are worth 90% of the grade, plus there's the actual AP exam. So if she's skipping class when they cover material, she's going to struggle on those exams, and she knows it.

I do think part of the problem is that the poor teachers are so overworked, with so little planning/grading time, that they do have classes where the kids are working independently or in meaningless small groups to give the teachers a chance to catch up on grading. The kids know that this is a good time to skip. If MCPS gave the teachers more real grading periods, they could have substantive work/discussion in every class.

I also think MCPS makes it super easy for parents to track this. I get a call whenever she misses any class, plus parentvue shows you exactly which class they missed.

I do have criticisms of MCPS, but this is not really high on my list.

But they should start taking names of every kid they see vaping or doing drugs in the bathroom and send THOSE names home every single day.

YES, please. I agree.

If your kid skips class, it doesn't make much difference to me. But, when your kid is vaping or smoking weed in the bathroom, it affects every single other kid using that bathroom. The kids can smoke/vape elsewhere. Send them home when they're doing it in the bathroom. Every single time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One B-CC junior who has had 189 unexcused absences so far this school year

That's amazing since there are only 160 school days in the year, and we just started Q4! But if they've managed to manipulate space-time like that, I guess they don't need to be in school!

Or maybe we shouldn't give this article much credibility...

No, there are 182 school days in the year. And it seems obvious that the 189 unexcused absences refers to the number of class periods marked absent, not the number of days.

Sorry, but 180 actual days as required by MD law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

OMG OMG the sky is falling (again). What shall we do?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

OMG OMG the sky is falling (again). What shall we do?!?

Let's see, notify the parents. After 4 absences insist that the parents come to school and have a meeting prior to allowing them to return to school. After 12, you make the parents shadow the kids for a day, and if that doesn't work a week or permanently till their behavior improves.

[Anonymous]

MCPS Policy Re unexcused absences

If the student has five or more absences, and the school team
determines that the student has not shown improvement in
attendance in response to interventions set forth in the AIP, the
student will receive a failing grade in that course

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/elementary-schools/a-c/burtonsvillees/jeara.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

OMG OMG the sky is falling (again). What shall we do?!?

I bet you're an effective leader and problem solver with that kind of attitude. If you don't care, why are you here? Go away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS Policy Re unexcused absences

If the student has five or more absences, and the school team
determines that the student has not shown improvement in
attendance in response to interventions set forth in the AIP, the
student will receive a failing grade in that course

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/elementary-schools/a-c/burtonsvillees/jeara.pdf

That was the rule pre-pandemic. MCPS has yet to reinstitute this policy post-pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

OMG OMG the sky is falling (again). What shall we do?!?

Let's see, notify the parents. After 4 absences insist that the parents come to school and have a meeting prior to allowing them to return to school. After 12, you make the parents shadow the kids for a day, and if that doesn't work a week or permanently till their behavior improves.

You're more prescient than you know. I believe some version of what you outlined is what MCPS will unveil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

Where are the chronic absenteeism rates for each MCPS school reported?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are exactly two kids quoted in the article. I am not sure this is a widespread problem. My kid attends B-CC and has been late a couple of times after lunch. That is it and I have addressed this. I have received one absent phone call/email, which was in error, the whole year. Missing class is not acceptable, even if it is senior year. If my kid misses class, it is my fault, not the school's fault.

The absenteeism rates are in the article, so it is definitely widespread:

19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.”

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent

It is very much widespread and it's clear in the article and the fact that MCPS is revising its absenteeism policy in response to the scope and scale of the issue that it is widespread.

Where are the chronic absenteeism rates for each MCPS school reported?

"Students not Chronically Absent" is one of the components on the Maryland Report Card:

https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/ReportCards/ReportCardSchool/1/H/1/15/0406/0