[AKaeTrue]

My daughter is in first grade.

Where I live a child can miss 10 days of school whether having a doctors excuse. Everything after 10 days has to be a doctors excuse.

This year she has missed 11 days of school and all were excused by a doctors note.
However, last night she ate something that didn't agree with her and she was sick through out the night and into this morning.

Eating something that gives you an up-set stomach doesn't require a Dr. visit but my daughter doesn't deserve to have to go to school with a belly ache and having to run to the bathroom either.

I didn't send her to school today because of this.

My question is, what does a school do in a case like this. Do they hold the child back a year? (there is no Saturday school)...

I know it would be really simple to call the school to find out, but I'm really nervous about calling...

Can anyone give me a heads up before I call??

Thank you

Kae

[ballengerb1]

Attendance is very important but it is not going to hold your child back in school, automatically. I was an administartor for 35 years and you should give the Principal a call. Discuss you daughter's situation and ask for some advice. 11 days in 7 months will trigger an alert on his attendance rcords but it doesn't mean your child is in danger of failure. How is she doing in her studies?

[AKaeTrue]

She's an A / B honor roll student and has been all year.

I have just been nervous all day because I didn't take her to the Dr for an excuse and afraid that the school will tell me she needs one in order to pass.

[ballengerb1]

I would be totally shocked if they made that decision, it would be very unprofessional and illegal. But do call the Princpal to establish some communication so they will know you aren't ignoring the issue. By the way, we are talking about a public school system, right?

[AKaeTrue]

Yes this is a public school system.

Even when I was in grade school the absentee limit was 10 days.
Anything after 10 days had to be excused by a Dr. note;
If it wasn't, you had to make it up in Saturday school.

But since elementary school doesn't hold Saturday school;
I was and still am nervous about what they are going to say to me.

I sent her to school today with a parents note,
But I'm going to visit the office when I pick her up this afternoon to talk to them about it.

Yesterday was the 12th day of school she had missed...
1 - 11 were excused by a Dr note because her illness needed to be treated by prescriptions.

I would have taken her to the Dr. for her belly ache so that I could have avoided all this worry,
But we don't have insurance and that 104$ it would have cost over a belly ache, that the Dr would not have done anything for,
Could go to something really needed...

What does the school system usually do in cases like this?
Will her good grades pass her regardless of the 1 unexcused dr. note?

Kae

[ballengerb1]

Yes she will pass based on her grades. A higher than allowed absence rate, arbitrarily established by the school, will not cause her to be retained. Rather than dropping by the office I would still recommend call the Principal directly and setting up an appointment to talk. This shows far more interest and concern than dropping in. Do not be afraid of the principal, they very rarely bite.

[J_9]

Kae, no need to be concerned about her not passing. Your daughter has excellent grades, and she has been pretty sick with strep for a long time this winter.

They will not hold back a passing child due to illness. As long as she makes up her work and keeps her grades she will pass.

Many of these "rules" were made, someone please correct me if I am wrong, because of truancy. It is a method to deter the truancy of children.

Also, don't be afraid to discuss this with her teacher, after all that is one reason they are there. If they know what is going on in a child's life, i.e. illness, divorce, death in the family, they are very willing to accommodate the family.

As long as you keep the teacher informed, you are good to go. I ALWAYS call when my kidlets are ill and/or have a doctor's appointment to let them know that my child will be absent, then when they return to school I either send a handwritten note or a doctor's note.

[Fr_Chuck]

I would have to note that calling the school that morning she was sick, and asking them would have been the proper thing to do as to how they enforce those rules.

I have had head butts though 20 years with school districts and have had to hire a lawyer several times to sue the school board over things less seroius. Sometimes school officials in public schools care little about anything except inforcing board of education policies.

So actually I would be concerned and be at the school first thing Monday to talk with them about this.

[AKaeTrue]

Ballengerb1, Thank you for taking the time to reassure me.
Everything you said was confirmed when I visited
The office today.
I also made an appointment with the principal like you suggested for
Monday so that she'll know the reason for the absence.

J, Thanks for the boost of confidence. The school was fully aware of our
Strep nightmare and was very impressed that my daughter maintained her
Grades through the whole ordeal.
You were a tremendous help during that time and she was never
Reinfected again.

Fr Chuck, calling this morning would have been wise, especially because of the many "head butting" stories I've heard.
But I was very nervous (because of the stories I've heard).
When I'm nervous, I make myself sound like a total fool (especially over the phone) and I didn't want to present myself to the school like that.


Thanks again everyone. I have a meeting with the principal Monday.
But I was told today that there won't be an issue with her going on to second grade... Boy is that a relief :-)
They told me they would have just sent her home anyway :-)

Kae

[hollyt]

No, your child will not be held back for missing more than the allotted number of days allowed by the school.

What they are trying to do is prove a point that education is important. Attendance and consistency are important. Allotted is important. Schools miss out on HUGE money from the state due to poor attendance. This may seem greedy but that money is truly needed to provide quality programs for your kids to enjoy such as PE, music, assemblies, tutors, teacher's aides salaries, etc.

Be sure to not only call the office to let them know, but also either send the teacher an e-mail or a phone call letting her know that you are concerned about your daughter catching up on any missed school work. Have her do it right away and turn it in ASAP.

I am sorry to hear that your little one is not feeling well. I am sure that everyone at the school will assure you that it is OK, but that she NEEDS to be in class on a regular, consistent basis.

Best of luck!