Increase Absenteeism in Midle/Upper SES students not due to illness?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

Omg covid was ONE year of school. One. Many of the kids in school now weren’t even in school when covid happened!

It clearly sent a message that in person education was not a priority and parents and students remember that. Kids who were in kindergarten when it started as still in elementary school so most kids in the school system remember the experience of a short google meet and then "go ask your parents what to do now".

My youngest kid was was in K when it started. Did half of first grade online before hybrid began. Is now a 6th grader on the all A honor roll because she isn’t a moron who somehow thinks school will never matter in her life because she had to do Google meets for a total of 6 months ever. Get it together!

Why you are choosing to spend your Sunday morning name-calling on the Internet is an interesting question.

You missed the point. Kids are missing school and still doing fine. They get good grades, go to good colleges l, and get good jobs. They don't need too be in school because instruction is so dumbed down for the least capable.

They are doing fine, if you mean graduating by doing fine, I guess. Getting into good colleges, I hope not. If they are they are in trouble, do you really think they are going to go to college classes now or take it seriously. I can’t wait for that debt with no or a worthless degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you that we take DS out of MS whenever it’s convenient for us considering the calendar is BS, ans the fact that there are SOOO many stupid days when he is in school and not teaching is happening.

+1. Our family does take education seriously, but a lot of times they watch a movie or have a class party or just have a catch-up day, so it doesn’t seem worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the choppy calendar. Clearly education is not a priority with the calendar set as it is so families react accordingly.

^^^^^^^

Say it louder for the people at Gatehouse.

Exactly this.

Gatehouse does not care.

[Anonymous]

Teachers hate it more than parents. Give less time for testing bc that hasn’t moved back, slightly forward. And summer break is only 8 weeks. Please eliminate all school planning/development after the first month. If I have to hear about how learning targets are going to keep students engaged, make them come to school and be happier one more time I’m going to transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a problem with complex causes. I think schools need to start asking for verification of doctors appointments. And enforcing an unexcused absence means you don’t get to make up the work. Parents caught lying? Enforce the rules.

My oldest doesn’t like to miss at all. Makes her too nervous she’s going to miss something. But my younger two are always happy to not be in school. We see a lot of parents checking kids out for a class to study for something else or miss a test they aren’t ready for. Also a ton of the pulling for vacations. All schools have to do is call those unexcused and give zeroes to fix the problem in high school.

What would this even mean? You’re gonna ask the kid whether they had diarrhea? Whether their parents assessed they needed a mental health day? You’re going to start making kids go to the doctor for things. The doctors do not want to see them for like common viruses. ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

Omg covid was ONE year of school. One. Many of the kids in school now weren’t even in school when covid happened!

It clearly sent a message that in person education was not a priority and parents and students remember that. Kids who were in kindergarten when it started as still in elementary school so most kids in the school system remember the experience of a short google meet and then "go ask your parents what to do now".

My youngest kid was was in K when it started. Did half of first grade online before hybrid began. Is now a 6th grader on the all A honor roll because she isn’t a moron who somehow thinks school will never matter in her life because she had to do Google meets for a total of 6 months ever. Get it together!

Why you are choosing to spend your Sunday morning name-calling on the Internet is an interesting question.

You missed the point. Kids are missing school and still doing fine. They get good grades, go to good colleges l, and get good jobs. They don't need too be in school because instruction is so dumbed down for the least capable.

They are doing fine, if you mean graduating by doing fine, I guess. Getting into good colleges, I hope not. If they are they are in trouble, do you really think they are going to go to college classes now or take it seriously. I can’t wait for that debt with no or a worthless degree.

Not to mention what kind of parent is ok with “doing fine” for their kid? That’s your bar? Not thriving, not excelling, not growing, just “doing fine” with all their absences. Begging some of you to raise your kids like you give a crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

Omg covid was ONE year of school. One. Many of the kids in school now weren’t even in school when covid happened!

It clearly sent a message that in person education was not a priority and parents and students remember that. Kids who were in kindergarten when it started as still in elementary school so most kids in the school system remember the experience of a short google meet and then "go ask your parents what to do now".

My youngest kid was was in K when it started. Did half of first grade online before hybrid began. Is now a 6th grader on the all A honor roll because she isn’t a moron who somehow thinks school will never matter in her life because she had to do Google meets for a total of 6 months ever. Get it together!

Why you are choosing to spend your Sunday morning name-calling on the Internet is an interesting question.

You missed the point. Kids are missing school and still doing fine. They get good grades, go to good colleges l, and get good jobs. They don't need too be in school because instruction is so dumbed down for the least capable.

They are doing fine, if you mean graduating by doing fine, I guess. Getting into good colleges, I hope not. If they are they are in trouble, do you really think they are going to go to college classes now or take it seriously. I can’t wait for that debt with no or a worthless degree.

They are getting into good colleges despite you wanting them to fail. The academics are not hard and kids can easily catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you that we take DS out of MS whenever it’s convenient for us considering the calendar is BS, ans the fact that there are SOOO many stupid days when he is in school and not teaching is happening.

This! Stop pretending everyday is neurosurgery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also I teach primarily 10th graders, the 11th and especially 12 graders at our school attendance is horrific.

Same. I think this is true across all income levels because I’m at a title 1 school but many here are posting about their higher SES schools. Parents do not make kids come. It’s way too comfortable for kids to stay home - think about when we were kids. If you stayed home, tv sucked, you had nobody talk to. They stay home and have streaming, tiktok, and can snap their friends all day. The students also on the whole care less about academics and about thinks like sports, for which they would need to be in school. This is true just comparing my students now to my pre Covid students: they generally are much, much less motivated or driven by almost anything, and have zero sense of school community.

Anyway, it’s bad.

We had 5 day school weeks and got out for summer vacation by Memorial Day.

Our kids have a pathetic mishmash of 3 and 4 day weeks, random half days, and are stuck in school almost until July.

Apples and oranges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

Omg covid was ONE year of school. One. Many of the kids in school now weren’t even in school when covid happened!

New to FCPS?

It was 2 full years, plus 2-3 years of recovery here.

Maybe not in your red state, but blue FCPS,was all in on covid school for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a problem with complex causes. I think schools need to start asking for verification of doctors appointments. And enforcing an unexcused absence means you don’t get to make up the work. Parents caught lying? Enforce the rules.

My oldest doesn’t like to miss at all. Makes her too nervous she’s going to miss something. But my younger two are always happy to not be in school. We see a lot of parents checking kids out for a class to study for something else or miss a test they aren’t ready for. Also a ton of the pulling for vacations. All schools have to do is call those unexcused and give zeroes to fix the problem in high school.

Ir, fcps cohld ditch all the random extra religious days and fake teachers workdays scheduled to give more religious dsys off, and the elementary half days, and revert to a Garza calender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

Omg covid was ONE year of school. One. Many of the kids in school now weren’t even in school when covid happened!

New to FCPS?

It was 2 full years, plus 2-3 years of recovery here.

Maybe not in your red state, but blue FCPS,was all in on covid school for years.

Math isn't your strong point is it?

Only March 2020-March 2021 was fully online. That's 12 months, which is one year. If you count March 2021-June 2021, that is still only 15 months.

Where are you getting two full years? Additionally, you think it took two or three years to recover? If that's the case, that's a parenting problem, not an FCPS problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

This.

Absolutely. My attitude as a parent completely changed after that and it very much affected how my kids feel about school and whether they need to be there in person.

My kids have good attendance overall. My 7th grader has only missed 1 day (for a legitimate illness). My high schooler has missed 4 full days for legitimate illness/surgery recovery, 1 for a non-legitimate "I'm tired after late sports night and have nothing going on in classes" day, and several late arrivals or early releases for both legitimate doctors appointments (he had surgery for a sports injury) and just to catch some extra rest time during busy seasons. He's taking all honors and AP classes as a 10th grader and getting straight As. He says that even with all of that missing, he's there more than most and I believe it. He's proven to me that he's trustworthy as far as how to best balance his time. Sometimes missing a class makes the most sense overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of parents remembering how schools handled covid-it was hey kids teach yourself, you don't need to be in person, and the calendar. For years the schools have sent the message that regular attendance doesn't matter.

Omg covid was ONE year of school. One. Many of the kids in school now weren’t even in school when covid happened!

It clearly sent a message that in person education was not a priority and parents and students remember that. Kids who were in kindergarten when it started as still in elementary school so most kids in the school system remember the experience of a short google meet and then "go ask your parents what to do now".

My youngest kid was was in K when it started. Did half of first grade online before hybrid began. Is now a 6th grader on the all A honor roll because she isn’t a moron who somehow thinks school will never matter in her life because she had to do Google meets for a total of 6 months ever. Get it together!

Why you are choosing to spend your Sunday morning name-calling on the Internet is an interesting question.

You missed the point. Kids are missing school and still doing fine. They get good grades, go to good colleges l, and get good jobs. They don't need too be in school because instruction is so dumbed down for the least capable.

Some kids are fine missing school, many kids are not. Just because yours seems to be doing fine doesn’t mean that others are. But the parents of the kids missing a ton of days at lower SES schools are not posting on this board. Those schools with low test scores? I would guess that they have a higher percentage of kids missing more school. The kids don’t have the parental support at home to catch up and their missed days are not mental health days, they are plain skipping school because their parents are not paying attention and don’t value school.

The MC/UMC families who let kids miss school or are taking off for their kid to go on a cheaper cruise are more likely to support their kids recovering material that they miss. The burden is less on the kids and more on the teachers because parents expect that the teachers will catch the kids up. Parents call in that their kid is out with the flu so they can cruise and still require the teachers to make up material because it was an excused.

Take your vacation, I think it is a poor choice but you do you. Accept the unexcused absence on the record and stop burdening the teachers with make up work so you can visit Disney at a better time of year. That is all that I ask for. The vacation plus demanding the teachers work to catch your kid up is the entitlement that I find galling.