No you don't need to give a reason, but your child will probably tell everyone where you are going, so don't say "doctor appointment" in your note if you're really going to get ice cream and play hooky at the zoo.

At our school you need to be present for five hours to have it count as present for attendance tallies.

Anonymous wrote:If you take a kid out of school two hours early, does that get marked exactly the same way as when they miss a full day?

At our ES that doesn’t get marked as anything. Not as a tardy or an absence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t owe them an explanation. Just tell them what time you are getting him and leave it at that. I’m a teacher and wouldn’t ask you the reason. None of my business.

Sure, as long as OP is okay having it counted as an unexcused absence. They’re not going to hold OP’s kid hostage, but there’s no guarantee there’s won’t be consequences if your kid misses a test or something.

Our ES puts everything down as excused. Even family trips to Disney. Yes really. Maybe if they thought you were going to be chronically absent they would start caring.

OP if you are worried you can say “medical appointment” but it’s not like it matters. Maybe it matters later when everything is for a permanent grade.

Anonymous wrote:If you take a kid out of school two hours early, does that get marked exactly the same way as when they miss a full day?

In our school that would be a tardy instead of an absence. Absence = missing the whole day, tardy = missing part of the day.

Yes, I know that doesn’t square with the definition of “tardy” and it confused me the first time I encountered it when we picked our kid up early.

Even if it’s unexcused, who cares? It’s elementary school. My husband took DS out of school two days last week for a hunting trip. We didn’t explain and no one asked.

As a practical matter, DS learned more about nature, ecology, and biology in two days than he would have learned in weeks of science class.

Anonymous wrote:If you take a kid out of school two hours early, does that get marked exactly the same way as when they miss a full day?

Why would it matter? Perfect attendance award?

If you take a kid out of school two hours early, does that get marked exactly the same way as when they miss a full day?

I always have written notes giving outrageous reasons if it's not a doctor's appointment.

Please excuse Larlo tomorrow; I will be picking him for an audition to become a leprechaun at 2pm.

Please excuse Larla from arriving late tomorrow morning. POTUS needs to consult with her for advice but she will arrive at 10:30.

The kids LOVE reading their notes on the way to school and it amuses me; we keep stationery in the car for this exact purpose.

Teacher here. Lol just pick up your kid. Who cares if it’s unexcused unless your kid misses enough days for the school system to care (which is a crap ton of days). Even then, teachers don’t care unless you complain about about bad grades (as a result of missing school). Fewer students = less stress for teachers.

Anonymous wrote:You don’t owe them an explanation. Just tell them what time you are getting him and leave it at that. I’m a teacher and wouldn’t ask you the reason. None of my business.

Sure, as long as OP is okay having it counted as an unexcused absence. They’re not going to hold OP’s kid hostage, but there’s no guarantee there’s won’t be consequences if your kid misses a test or something.

Dear Ms. X, I will pick Larlo up at 1 today. He will return to school on Wednesday.

Sincerely,

Larlo's mom

You don’t owe them an explanation. Just tell them what time you are getting him and leave it at that. I’m a teacher and wouldn’t ask you the reason. None of my business.

Can you say "appointment" or "family commitment"?

Wondering if I could just tell teacher I need to pick him up early or so I need to tell the specifics. I am picking him up for non doctor things.