An open letter.
Dear Local School District,
Thank you for the kind note that you sent home with my daughter Hannah on Friday. From what you’ve written, I see that we have once again run afoul of your attendance policy. The printout you attached to the note made it clear that Hannah has missed school an exorbitant number of times.
Right there in black and white, the dates are clearly noted. And the total is shocking. Shocking.
FIVE.
My child has missed school FIVE (5) times this school year.
Well clearly, that is inexcusable.
But what about excused absences? Hannah has turned in a written excuse every time she returned to school.
Oh yes, only one of those excuses was written by a doctor. The remaining four were written and signed by someone with much less credibility: HER MOTHER.
And since your policy clearly states that no more than three (3) parent notes may be submitted as excuses for a child’s absence, we are obviously rulebreakers.
***
So why did Hannah’s father and I decide to so blatantly disobey your policy?
I assure you it wasn’t due to some knee-jerk tendency to rebel or contradict every rule we encounter.
(Not because I don’t have that tendency. I totally do.)
But I really did weigh my options every time Hannah got sick. Here they were as I saw them:
Option 1: Send my kid to school with her 102-degree fever after throwing up overnight, since she had felt perfectly fine just two days ago.
Option 2: Keep the kid home from school and dedicate two hours and a $25 copay to a doctor visit, only to expose her to a dozen additional germs in the waiting room. And then have the doctor ask why I’m bringing her when she’s only been sick for 24 hours. Which means it’s probably a virus. And then tell me that I just need to take her home. And treat her symptoms, And keep her rested and hydrated.
Option 3: Keep the kid home from school, keeping her medicated and rested and hydrated. And risk running afoul of your school policy.
***
I chose Option 3. But clearly, my logic was flawed.
I apologize for my irresponsible decision.
In good news, even though I didn’t think she was 100% well on Thursday and Friday, I still sent her back to school.
I hope that makes up for my disobedience a little bit.
***
Oh, yeah. Before I forget…
On Saturday Hannah showed me some itchy red bumps on her legs. They’d been there a week and looked like an eczema flareup. But now they were blistering. And spreading.
So today you’ll be pleased to read that I’m obeying your policy. Hannah IS home again. But we’re on our way to the doctor, where they will sneak us in a side door and probably diagnose my already-vaccinated child with chicken pox.
In hindsight, maybe I should’ve kept her home the rest of the week. I might’ve avoided exposing an entire school to chicken pox. But you know, rules are rules. And I was really trying to submit to them.
Oh, and don’t worry! The next time you see Hannah, I PROMISE she’ll have a signed doctor’s excuse.
Sincerely,
Hannah’s Mom
16 responses so far ↓
1 the domestic fringe // Feb 2, 2009 at 11:35 am
Too funny! Hope you send it.
My school district doesn’t is pretty cool with keeping sick kids home – no note. Thankfully we don’t miss too many days due to sickness.
Hope everyone is feeling better. Bring a book for your two hour wait at the doctors.
-FringeGirl
the domestic fringe’s last blog post..Spittin Straight
2 Beth // Feb 2, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Sigh…easier to chastise all than to find out what actually merits a note home, I guess. But the very fact that they have to MAKE that rule means that someone out there doesn’t think school is important for their kids…so…well…there’s a lot wrong with the world in general.
I’m right with you on the choosing not to go to the doctor. Co-pays and germs are not our friends. Again…a lot wrong with the world…
3 Helen // Feb 2, 2009 at 12:10 pm
If you give me their email address, I will jump a cyber fence and chase them with a cyber shovel for you. I am feeling nostalgic.
I hope Hannah feels better soon. I had the pox (chicken) at 17, and remember well how miserable I felt…
Helen’s last blog post..Happy Belated Birthday, Daddy
4 @ngie // Feb 2, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Oh yucky chicken pox!
Credibility shmedibility. You were very tactful. I might have been like: talk to the hand!
@ngie’s last blog post..I D card
5 Mel // Feb 2, 2009 at 1:02 pm
ok that is a great letter and I do hope you send it!! Schools are crazy
Mel’s last blog post..Magnificent Monday & 38/365
6 Daniel W. Slocum // Feb 2, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Mail it!!!!
Daniel W. Slocum’s last blog post..Havanese Rescue Inc. 2009 Calendar
7 Charlie // Feb 2, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Many schools today substitute rules, policy, and “zero tolerance” for leadership and good judgment. If you hide behind a rule, then you don’t have to make decisions or take responsibility. . . . not that this is a pet peeve or anything.
8 Nick the Geek // Feb 2, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Fortunately we have not run into attendance problem with out kids. I seriously doubt this will ever become an issue in the school they are in since I assist in administration for the school. They would probably ask me to sign the letter addressed to my wife just to be spiteful like that. Of course then I would insist one signing their checks “Mickey Mouse” just to be spiteful like that. We could then all have a good laugh and deal with a real problem.
I am not a good assistant administrator because I typically don’t view things like this as a real problem. Typically I wouldn’t even view a kid bringing his new pocket knife to school as a real problem. It would have been acceptable when I grew up and believe it or not most kids I went to school with did not grow up into criminals.
Incredibly they didn’t have half the problems schools have now but that might be because they focused on real problems instead of making mountains out of mole hills.
On a side note chicken pox suck. I got them when I was 16 and it was beyond miserable. My sister, which was 5 at the time, shared them with me. Her’s were quite mild but since IW as much older they were unreal.
*shudder*
Nick the Geek’s last blog post..Super Youth Pastor and the Sickly Student
9 Annie K // Feb 2, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I work for a school district. I’m going to exercise my right to be PC and withold comment that could potentially endanger my job situation.
Chickenpox = dreadful. That is a big bummer for your little girl…
Annie K’s last blog post..Sunday Snapshot
10 katdish // Feb 2, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Heaven forbid you keep your kid home in order to keep from getting everyone else sick. Nobody else seems to do it, why should we?
katdish’s last blog post..The least of these…
11 sherri // Feb 3, 2009 at 9:39 am
Send this post with all the comments along with your Letter!
sherri’s last blog post..Freckled Glory
12 Hat Chick // Feb 3, 2009 at 10:05 am
At least you don’t get the letter threatening to call CPS from the school district if your child has been absent for 3 consecutive days. We are taking a ski trip this weekend but I had to schedule a midday flight so my kids can go to school Thurs morning, otherwise they would be out Thurs, Fri and Mon – I would have a letter in both kids’ backpacks on Tues with a copy of the attendance policy that I would have to sign and return acknowledging that I understand it.
I understand that the schools get federal money based on attendance, (and that’s a great way to measure if the schools are succeeding, right? NOT.) but don’t punish the honor-roll students and the parent who volunteers every week. Use some common sense. It’s this kind of policy and measurement system that makes me want to homeschool or go back to private.
Hat Chick’s last blog post..Tax Tantrum Tuesday
13 Steph at the Red Clay Diaries // Feb 3, 2009 at 10:17 am
Oh Hat Chick, but I HAVE gotten that letter. I think that’s why I think it’s hilarious that I’m getting one like it again.
Last school year we took the kids out of school for six whole days in order to go to the UK. You know, London, Parliament, Stonehenge in person, the whole thing. I sent notes to their teachers and asked for assignments to take with me. The teachers were thrilled for my kids and the educational experience they were gonna get. After the kids got back, they did Power Point presentations on their trip.
Then a week later I got a letter from my daughter’s school (the folks at my son’s school were apparently less lame). I was required to go in for a “conference” with the teacher. It turned out to be a hoop to jump through where she had to witness me receiving a copy of the policy, and I had to sign something saying I had received it.
Yeah. That made private/homeschool really appealing.
14 Nick the Geek // Feb 3, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I wonder if the teacher got extra pay for having to witness stupidity in action? My guess it not.
PS obviously stupidity in action is a reference to the system and not to you.
Nick the Geek’s last blog post..Super Youth Pastor and the Sickly Student
15 Summer // Feb 4, 2009 at 8:57 am
My son was sent home from school last week because of an eczema flare up. The nurse thought it was ring worm and the school declared he could not return to school until he had seen a doctor specifiying what it was, that it was not contagious and that it was being treated.
Annoying!
Thanks for stopping by!
Summer’s last blog post..I guess girls are verbal from the very beginning
16 What? No voodoo chickens? Searchy McGooglepants, Part 3 | The Red Clay Diaries // Dec 29, 2010 at 8:03 am
[...] provide a valuable public service. If your kids are ditching, sending the school administrators this note might just clear things [...]
Leave a Comment