Anonymous
Post 03/18/2024 01:02     Subject: Can I offer to help without offending?
Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my daughter is skipping her 8th grade trip this year because she’s terrified she will sleepwalk while there after a sort of traumatic sleepwalking event this past summer where she got hurt at an unfamiliar place. We are allowing her to skip the trip. We have told the school she won’t be going because we aren’t comfortable with her being that far away without us, which is a partial truth. It would be super awkward if someone assumed we were lying and even more awkward if the reason they thought we were lying is because we couldn’t afford it.


Why not just tell the truth? Why are you making life more complicated by lying? It's not anything embarrassing. (BTW, my DD's friend sleepwalked and her parents let her host sleepovers but wouldn't let her go to sleepovers, for just this reason - staying physically safe.)
Anonymous
Post 03/18/2024 00:52     Subject: Can I offer to help without offending?
Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to believe they don’t have financial aid for all school fees.

Someone said to call the principal and pay for her. When the principal calls the mother she can accept it or deny the financial aid.


PP. I suggested the principal because that was the route at my kid's school. But depending on the trip, the teacher might be a better choice. The teacher might also decide to pass the inquiry to the principal.
Anonymous
Post 03/18/2024 00:25     Subject: Can I offer to help without offending?
It’s hard to believe they don’t have financial aid for all school fees.

Someone said to call the principal and pay for her. When the principal calls the mother she can accept it or deny the financial aid.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2024 23:34     Subject: Can I offer to help without offending?
I'm super curious - what kind of field trip is it that costs $300 per family even after fundraising by the PTA? Something like that would be a non-starter at our school due to some families not being able to afford it.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2024 23:20     Subject: Can I offer to help without offending?
Anonymous wrote:Np. Just wanted to say thank you to op for even being aware of this. I was a kid who wouldn’t have been able to go on a trip such as this and it’s very generous of you to look out for others. Thank you.


Me too.
I think going through the school is the best bet. Tell the teacher you don't know the situation but rant to cover the girl anonymously in case it is a lack of funding. Teacher or counselor or admin can reach out and act like they're reaching out to all the non attendees to assure them that there's coverage. Hopefully they actually are reaching out to all non attendees in reality, but they might not of an ashamed family made up a bogus excuse rather than say they can't afford it.