Reply to Chronic Absenteeism in APS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think a lot of the chronic absenteeism is concentrated on the families that have more food and housing insecurity and generally less means. Our option elementary school is more diverse regarding these factors versus a neighborhood school and the principal continues to talk about attendance pretty much every time she talks about anything. At this point I've shared with others I wish she would move on and talk about something else because parents either get that attendance is important, or they don't and have heard other parents comment as much.  Since it's an immersion school, a lot of the meetings have Spanish English translation, and they go ON AND ON about it when they are doing the Spanish translation. At one meeting they said it in English - attending school is important - and then in Spanish they gave several examples "if your kid tells you they are tired, they still need to come to school" which was a bit surprising for me that it needs to be said, but I guess not everyone has the same background that education is important, and schools were closed for a year and a half....[/quote]

or the schools are clueless and just think that saying attendance is important will solve the problem when it clearly does not. [/quote]

What else can the school really do?[/quote]

Just telling families that attendance is important is clearly not working. Look at the FCPS Superintendent's statement. A lot of the absenteeism is due to actual illness. Schools could certainly do a lot more to promote healthy school environments that don't spread disease. [/quote]

[b]People say their kids are sick because it’s an excused absence.[/b] If you are pulling data the day is officially recorded as illness. Were they actually sick? Maybe yes, maybe no. [/quote]

Whenever my kids were absent they were "sick" regardless of whether they actually were or not. [/quote]

+1. The schools get on some sort of weird power trip about this. Once I picked my DD up early from HS, and said she had an appt. The office secretary rudely demanded my DD come back with a "note from the doctor" the following day or the absence would be marked "unexcused." Well, we didn't and the absence was still "excused." But ever since then, I just say they are sick even if they aren't. Its none of the school's business - I don't even think they should ask. [/quote]

If a parent is signing them out, I agree that it shouldn't matter for what. If, however, the parent is pulling them out excessively, resulting in too many inconveniences for the teacher or the class or too much disruption to the child's learning and progress, the school should be having some conversations with the parents.[/quote]

Of course it's the school's business why you are taking them out of school. There is literally a law for compulsory school attendance and there are reasons that count for school absences and reasons that don't. The entitlement of parents never ceases to amaze me. [/quote]

+1. If you’re that offended at having to tell the school why your kid is out, just homeschool. [/quote]

Nope. I'll just keep telling them my child is "sick" and they can get over it. Don't hate the player, hate the game (that the schools created.)[/quote]

well they might work against you when they require documentation that you cannot provide and it becomes clear that you are lying. but you do you. [/quote]

There is no "documentation" that proves fever, diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat, migraine, menstrual cramps, etc. Clearly you are new at this. I would welcome the opporunity to discuss attendance and other things with the school. It has literally never, not once ever, happened in the 13 years I have had a child in public school. I'd mention how suddenly "unimportant" school was during the pandemic (can't unring that bell), or on "bad weather" days, or days where entire class blocks are set aside for kids to turn in late assignments they never completed during the quarter, or every time there is a sub and the students are only left busywork. Just to name a few. [/quote]

No I'm not new at this, thanks. Check your school district's policy. They usually don't require documentation at first, but they sure will after a certain number of days. For future reference, it's called a dr's note.

You need to get over your bitterness from Covid. [/quote]

Sorry to disappoint you, but they aren’t harassing middle class parents of straight A honors students about absences. They aren’t even questioning it. [/quote]

Oh, so it's a racist thing! Disproportionately going after specific students. [/quote]

Oh yes they are. My DD has missed 10 days so far and we’ve gotten letters from principal. [/quote]
That’s 2 full weeks![/quote]

It sure is!  But all were for illness and a full day doctors appointment for treatment. We have friends who miss that much and more for their sport between November and February. [/quote]

What kind of sports have kids miss that much school? [/quote]

The ice sports:  hockey and figure skating. [/quote]

NP. I thank my lucky stars regularly that my kids don’t do those sports, for many reasons. 😀[/quote]

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