Reply to Who leaked the MCPS attendance documents to the Washington Post?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am sure there is an issue but I also know that my kids often have unexcused absences that were entered wrong that no one bothers to correct.  Sometimes we do not even know till we get the report card.  Or we get an email and it is a field trip or sports.[/quote]

Don't make excuses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/can-you-skip-47-days-of-english-class-and-still-graduate-from-high-school/2019/05/25/be3318ca-1b84-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html?utm_term=.a076946cf709

This has been going on for a LONG time. Someone had the balls to bring it to the surface.

This is how it works:

[quote]In Montgomery, educators in a string of high schools have told The Post that attendance practices are lax, vague or inconsistent. Some say they feel pressured to give makeup work, extend deadlines, excuse assignments or find other ways to help repeatedly absent students pass — and that the problem is not just a matter of seniors’ losing interest as their high school days wind down.[/quote]

So yes, a kid can miss instruction but teachers are FORCED to re-teach/re-assess, which pulls the responsibility away from the kid.  And how much learning can be done through "tutoring?"  Do you really think that Jo Jo, who's absent 3/5 days each week, is learning?  even WITH "re-teaching?"

absolutely disgusting!

[/quote]

This is also an issue in elementary schools. I have had students who miss 30 plus days of school. The PPW sends letters and very rarely does the parent have to attend a truancy hearing. One of the biggest issues we face is with kids whom we suspect [b]have a learning disability not being able to move past the EMT process because the attendance rate is an issue.[/b] We’ve made calls to CPS because it can be considered neglect but still nothing happens. Then we have to answer as to why the student is below grade level, and like every other logical reason it’s considered to be an excuse by admin.

[/quote]

This is a YOU problem not a parent problem.  What I mean is that if the school is out of legal compliance if they are requiring students to have fewer than 5 unexcused absences in order to receive an IEP.  That is not anywhere in the law.  Your school is causing the problem by creating a process with an illegal requirement.  There are many many reasons why kids don't attend school.  My DC had a mental health issue and missed 50% of some classes in HS.  DC still graduated and went to an Ivy League school because we insisted the 504 team accommodate her health issues, even though they initially tried to blame her non-attendance on some kind of willful disobedience, laziness or skipping.

It is not neglect when a student refuses to go to school because they are dealing with mental health issues (whether iatrogenic or mental health issues stemming from an undiagnosed or unaccommodated learning disability) or when they are being punished (instead of accommodated or provided special instruction) at school for having a learning disability (as is so often the case)> [/quote]

NP.  Where did the PP say anything about five days? She cited 30+. "Lack of instruction" is right there on the learning disability form as a contraindication for identifying a student with SLD. It is literally part of the IDEA definition as an exclusionary factor. If you are chronically absent, you have a lack of instruction. You cannot be provided specialized instruction without an IEP, because that's a violation of Least Restrictive Environment, and you can't get an IEP for SLD if you don't go to school. This is not MCPS or your school trying to trap you. It's what the federal law says. Your anger is misplaced.[/quote]

Pay attention to the form.  A mental health impairment is NOT a Specific Learning Disability.  These are two different disabilities so the school would be using the wrong form for a mental health impairment.  A mental health impairment can impact a child's ability to go to school and the child will need an IEP for support.  IIS might be needed as a Special Education Services for when the child can't go to school. [/quote]

You are like a dog with a bone without any reading comprehension skills c[/quote]

Ignorance of what is actually in IDEA is the primary reason MCPS is not compliant.  If you work for MCPS and are a member of IEP teams, please get training on the many different types of disabilities that qualify for an IEP if there's an educational impact.  Obviously if a child's mental health impairment is affecting his/her ability to attend school,  there's an educational impact that needs to be addressed.  [/quote]

Wow.  Both sides of this debate are correct.  If a student has a mental health disability that impacts them attending school then attendance is not an exclusionary factor. This is also true for an intellectual disability, other health impairment, TBI, hearing loss, vision, etc.  Attendance is, however, an exclusionary factor when a team is determining eligibility for a specific learning disability.  You must rule out lack of instruction as the reason the student is not making progress.  If a student is continuously absent for 25 or 30 days a year, the student has not been provided with appropriate instruction.  In the elementary school this happens way too often.  It is never the kids fault and at my school we try everything to help the family get the child to school but it does happen. [/quote]

If the disability is impacting access to instruction,  then the school system should be providing instruction at home.  There are many children in MCPS that are being denied access to a Free Appropriate Public Education when attendance is used as an exclusionary factor for an IEP. [/quote]

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