Our DCPS elementary robo calls, but not until the evening.
I would think they would call, text or email during the day.

Our MCPS high school robocalls at night if our DC's miss a class.

Every school my kids have been in has thanked me for calling when they were going to be out; a lot of parents don't.

Even for preschool, it is helpful to call and let the teacher know the child will be out, especially if they have been out more than one day.

Anonymous wrote:MCPS doesn't call. I always call when my son is sick but he's not sick much, and by their response, I often feel a little weird - like maybe I'm the only parent who calls the office with this info? I also email his teacher. I wish I knew the right protocol (and I wish that they would call to confirm an absence.)

Elementary might not, but most HS do. I used to work in an MCPS elem before I took some leave, but the policy was a phone call after two consecutive days. It was a personal call, not a robocall, and the secretary would keep calling until she spoke to a parent. The main goal was to prevent truancy though, not to foil an abduction.

But I know I had to race back to my house and intercept the MCPS robocall when I skipped in high school. Good times, good times.

I always email my son's teacher in the morning when I know he is too sick to come to school. I doubt most public elementary schools call home. I went to a private HS and if you didn't call in sick by a certain time, the nurse would call home. I remember taking a few "Mental Health" holidays in HS and being ticked off by the nurse calling and waking me up. She was ticked off that I had made the choice to stay home when my mother was at work. I was like, "Hello. I am 17 yrs old and I can decide for myself if I am too sick to come to school."

MCPS doesn't call. I always call when my son is sick but he's not sick much, and by their response, I often feel a little weird - like maybe I'm the only parent who calls the office with this info? I also email his teacher. I wish I knew the right protocol (and I wish that they would call to confirm an absence.)

I would not expect a private preschool to call, as preschool is not required by state law.

You don't notify the school when your young child will be out!?!?

I find that weird.....

Whenever I call or email when he will be out, theschool always has a "why are you telling me this?" attitude.

FCPS robocalls like clockwork. If your kid is late for first period, forget it, robocall comes in that evening. Then you have to call back and clear it up with the school (kid was in bathroom, whatever). But a great safety feature.

My DD's preschool does not call and I also find it scary and wish they would.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't call and I think it's kind of scary -what if I dropped off DC and then they weren't in class? No one would know they had disappeared.

You don't notify the school when your young child will be out!?!?

I find that weird.....

You misread the post. The scenario that's scary is if you drop off DC, let's say on the playground, and somehow the child doesn't make it to class. For example, someone lures the child away from the playground and abducts the child.

Actual scenarios:

DC is put on school bus. School bus driver and assistant forget to drop the child off and child spends four hours locked in bus. Child survives.

Mom and dad switch off on drop-off of toddler at nursery school. Child falls asleep, and mom forgets to drop off. Child spends morning in car. Child does not survive.

Mom watches as elementary school walks alone to school bus stop two blocks from home. Child does not get on school bus. Mom does not realize that child missed bus until child fails to come home from school. Child abducted, presumed dead.

In each case, a prompt phone call, text message or email from the school to parents at home, work, cell, etc. requesting that they confirm the child's absence from school might have changed the outcome.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't call and I think it's kind of scary -what if I dropped off DC and then they weren't in class? No one would know they had disappeared.

You don't notify the school when your young child will be out!?!?
I find that weird.....

One school emails and robocalls. The other school just robocalls.

It is easy to not call the school. For example:

In one instance, the kid puked at school and had to be taken home. Since the school policy is to keep the kid home the next day, and the nurse reminded me of the policy at least 3 times as I was leaving the office, I assumed that they would make note with the attendance people that the kid would be absent the next day. Apparently, they did not.

In another instance, we were missing a day due to a late arrival flight from a family trip. A note was sent in advance to the school and to the teacher, but it somehow did not make it to the attendance office, so we got the call.

In another instance, I was up the entire night with a puking child, so when they finally stopped throwing up around 4:00 AM I just crashed. Planned to call the school when I woke up, but the attendance office robocall beat me to it.

It is not that weird to get the call before you actually contact the school. Our robocalls go out when attendance is collected and entered, within an hour after the day begins.

Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't call and I think it's kind of scary -what if I dropped off DC and then they weren't in class? No one would know they had disappeared.

You don't notify the school when your young child will be out!?!?

I find that weird.....

Our school doesn't call and I think it's kind of scary -what if I dropped off DC and then they weren't in class? No one would know they had disappeared.

YY calls, and I like it. I did not consider it weird when I received a call.

Does your school call you if your child is absent and you don't let anyone know? Would you consider it weird if they didn't?