Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Attendance: Absences from skipping class disqualify for make-up work.

How on earth does MCPS plan on identifying, assessing and discerning which absences are legitimately due to skipping and not errors on their part due to subs not knowing how to take attendance, teachers forgetting to do attendance, or tardies being mistakenly marked as absences?

There's no way they have the scale and manpower to do this.

As a teacher I can do this by requiring a student submit proof of excused absence when they attempt to turn in the assignment late. I'm not denying them from doing it. I'm just denying them from getting credit for it when they can't prove that it was excused. It's not hard to produce a doctors note, e-mail from guidance, teacher, coach, administrator, etc. A parent writing a note saying "Student overslept" is not an excused note.

You are not living in the real world. My limited emails to the guidance counselor for legitimate things go into the abyss with no response at least half the time. I would never bother them with this. I don’t drag my kid to the doctor (and pay for the visit out of pocket due to my high deductible plan) the second he has a fever/virus, but I do keep him home and treat with rest/fluids. You want an obituary emailed to you if grandma dies and he’s out to attend the funeral?

If you call the school and let them know your child is sick, it will be marked as excused. If you don't do this, it will be marked as unexcused. Call the attendance secretary or send in a note. It is that simple.

Yes I know how it is actually supposed to work but there is a know-it-all-teacher on here who thinks he or she can demand extra proof and can mark excused absences as unexcused.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of parents are picking kids up without signing the kid out. The kid just walks out of the building. Or the kid is just leaving the building when they feel like it. These are unexcused absences and should be marked as skipping.

This is what we do. They've made it annoying to sign out and sign back in and there are no consequences for absences. My kid leaves and returns at the change of periods using doors going to the portables and it's easy peasy. I don't need to find a parking place, go in, wait for them to phone the teacher, etc. And my kid is afraid of the attendance secretary who is "always mean."

That said, I'd be very happy if they added consequences and would do my part if the school took it seriously. But they don't, so I don't.