LucyStoner Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I'm not getting the issue with having lunch in a "store identifiable" container or a bag instead of a fancy bought bag. Yeah, what is up with that? If I send my sons' lunch in a reused grocery sack that is my own darn perogative. Try to argue with me and see what happens. I can imagine myself taking out a sharpie and coloring the whole store logo, surrounding the rest with a Noam Chomsky quote about totalitarianism and telling them to.deal.with.it. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 What is with this kind of insanity? Well, either last year or the year before a high school student in our district brought guns to school in his backpack intended on shooting several classmates. His parents noticed the weapons had been removed from their cabinet and called the school and so thwarted that attack, thank goodness. Also, the backpacks often take up a lot of space in the classrooms, so they just blanket disallow them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Maybe it isn't usually a problem. These things can happen, someone has a leak, someone drops something, whatever. Going home for a quick change just shouldn't be an issue - if a student can do it in 10 min, why not let them come back to school? It serves nothing and no one. So you are saying - here is a solution to an artificially created problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. (And there aren't many jobs that don't give people a place to keep a change of clothes. In cases where it is an issue it is usually because it actually is not possible - road work or something similar.) It's a bunch of foolish decisions that have repercussions that are even more silly. And for no real purpose. Sure, someone has a random leak. Sure, it makes more sense to go home and change and go back. But really how often does this happen to people? I had very heavy irregular periods and knew to keep extra supplies with me. I wore pads on days when I didn't need to, just in case. Especially since there are so many ultra thin options now, or even using cloth if the person needs chemical free. If that doesn't work for the student, then make a medical plan with the nurse. DD16 has the same issue that I did and doesn't think twice about it either. She plans ahead. INfact her cheer coach is fighting for the girls to have the option to wear their cheer uniforms to school (skirt doesn't meet dress code) on game days. It is a pristine white skirt, and dd is one of the girls helping to petition for it. Dealing with it is just a part of our lives. The school has a rule and I guess, it isn't that big of a deal to me. If you know this may be a problem and don't want to miss a day...plan ahead. If the only solution is to carry a change of clothes, then just do it. It isn't a hard solution to come up with. If you don't want to hassle with that, it is understandable as well. But then just accept the consequence that if you leak, you go home for the day. Also not a life changing event. My work lets us carry a clear plastic bag into the pharmacy. Anything else needs to be kept in the car. Ok, so if I had this problem and didn't want to have to clock out to go to my car, I would just carry a rolled up pair of pants in my bag. Maybe this is a big problem for some people, but if you routinely have unexpected leaks (extra heavy periods etc) then maybe the student needs to make a medical plan of action with the school for that situation. There is often a solution if there is a real medical problem. The school has to store medicine in case of emergency, maybe they could store a pair of pants for someone who has a medical note asking them to do so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 What happens if you go over your allotted days absent and grades are passing? The rules are made to keep kids in school partly because they need the federal funding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Wow. Really shocked with some of the rules I read here. Our oldest went to PS, and of course there were rules, but nothing like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 google insane school rules. Yikes. Texas seems like one of the worst offenders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Well, either last year or the year before a high school student in our district brought guns to school in his backpack intended on shooting several classmates. His parents noticed the weapons had been removed from their cabinet and called the school and so thwarted that attack, thank goodness. Also, the backpacks often take up a lot of space in the classrooms, so they just blanket disallow them. Well, I guess the ban was less expensive than metal detectors. Still insane statistically. They should have banned pencils; I was stabbed with a pencil by another student when I was in Kindergarten. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahlanne Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 What happens if you go over your allotted days absent and grades are passing? The rules are made to keep kids in school partly because they need the federal funding. You fail and repeat the grade according to policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahlanne Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Well, I guess the ban was less expensive than metal detectors. Still insane statistically. They should have banned pencils; I was stabbed with a pencil by another student when I was in Kindergarten. You too? I have a permanent brownish mark between my eyes from a pencil being thrown at me and the lead breaking inside. I was lucky it didn't hit my eye. Kids ask me all the time what happened. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 You too? I have a permanent brownish mark between my eyes from a pencil being thrown at me and the lead breaking inside. I was lucky it didn't hit my eye. Kids ask me all the time what happened. The middle of my hand. I might have cried. I think I was more stunned. It was a prank the other kid pulled. Now I know why they don't have those awesome, metal pencil sharpeners anymore; they created deadly points LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My daughter did have braces. We scheduled after school, before school and on lunch. Consider yourself lucky. Our office is closed for lunch (that isn't relevant in our case, as even if that were an option the lunch period isn't long enough for an appointment and the drive to and from the office) and doesn't open until 8. Our school isn't insane and realizes that orthodontist appointments in our area will require missed school, so it isn't an issue anyway. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 The dentist needs to plan for that. Every dentist I have ever seen saves the school holidays for kids appointments and tries to schedule adults during the day, unless they need a later appointment. If they aren't trying to work within the availability of students, then the dentist doesn't really want your student's business. A cleaning doesn't have to magically be done at 6months, just some time after that. When I schedule my kids dentist appointments, I just look at the school schedule and make it on one of the days he/she is available, isn't a big deal. Missing school, is like missing work. It is a big deal. It reduces learning and that is why the kids are there in the first place. I don't understand why it seems less important than a dental cleaning. My daughter did have braces. We scheduled after school, before school and on lunch. She was in braces for a couple extra months because of finding available appointments, but it wan't a big deal. She did miss school on the day she got them removed because the ortho surprised her and said she could get them off a month early. The ortho requires a day time appointment to have enough time to get them off. I scheduled it as late as possible in the day and she went home afterwards. But that is a once in a lifetime appointment, so I dont think it will a reoccurring problem. LOL Almost every dentist around here shuts down from Christmas to New Years. When mine were still in ps, we usually could still make it work without missing school but that's not easy around here. We consulted with three orthodontic practices before choosing the one we went with. All three had similar policies: every other appt could be scheduled before/after school & the other every other appt had to be during school hours. Since most of their patients are students, it is impossible to not see some during school hours. The one we ended up with opened at 7:30am. High school and middle school start at 7:30am so the reality was after school for half the appts and during school for the other half. I do agree that missing school is a big deal, and should only be done when no other options are available. Or reserved for really important things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Maybe this is a big problem for some people, but if you routinely have unexpected leaks (extra heavy periods etc) then maybe the student needs to make a medical plan of action with the school for that situation. There is often a solution if there is a real medical problem. The school has to store medicine in case of emergency, maybe they could store a pair of pants for someone who has a medical note asking them to do so. The middle school ds went to had a closet in the nurses office where one could leave supplies and clothing changes. Easy peasy. There was a section in the handbook telling girls about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 The middle school ds went to had a closet in the nurses office where one could leave supplies and clothing changes. Easy peasy. There was a section in the handbook telling girls about it. The middle school we're zoned for, the one I attended? There was no way. It's a very crowded school, and the nurse's office is pretty small. And while we were allowed lockers (which is lucky - many high schools in NYC don't have them), they were situated in classrooms, not hallways. Unless you were heading to a class held within your homeroom (unlikely) or actually leaving for the day, there was no way to access your locker between morning and afternoon homeroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Consider yourself lucky. Our office is closed for lunch (that isn't relevant in our case, as even if that were an option the lunch period isn't long enough for an appointment and the drive to and from the office) and doesn't open until 8. Our school isn't insane and realizes that orthodontist appointments in our area will require missed school, so it isn't an issue anyway. I think our ortho is open during lunch, but they are closed in the evenings (starting 55 minutes after high school lets out). Cameron's lunchtime was 25 minutes in 6th grade. Add in that our ortho is horrid about being behind so it's not uncommon for a 5 minute appointment to require us to sit and wait 45 minutes beforehand (we will most definitely not be using them if/when the little guys need braces!). Ani's lunch in 9th grade was 45 minutes, but she went to a magnet school 25 minutes from our house. Lunchtime simply wasn't an option, nor was before (open too late) and after school (close too early). I usually scheduled their appointments so they got to school within the first hour. No one blinked twice about it. It was excused, no big deal. Most of the kids being signed in and out of school wrote "ortho" as their reason on the pad so the schools clearly expected kids to miss school to see their orthodontist. The only issue we had was the attendance office at my daughter's high school was notorious for losing absence notes. After they lost the first two, I started taking a picture of them. It was like magic when they lost the next two and I e-mailed them a picture of the excuse note (from the ortho) and they never lost another one again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Then keep a pair of thin sweat pants in their back pack. Just like you would do at work, if you knew it was a possible problem and needed a solution. I had very irregular cycles, so I get it.I would have had to carry a change every day, just in case. But carrying a pair in the backpack is a simple solution that doesn't require the kid to go home. My kids can't wear sweatpants or shorts to high school, so they would be carrying jeans in an already overstuffed backpack. I think OP's school is trying to increase their $$$ flow by making such difficult rules. (Though if the school is concerned about $$, I would think they'd want as many students on campus as possible and so would allow students to return to school.) I get frustrated with our campus because if students (sophomores and older) have a parking permit and lunch pass, they can leave campus, including checking themselves in and out at lunchtime or as needed for appointments. However, my 17 year old needed me to check her out because we were new to the school and she didn't have either a parking permit or lunch pass. Very minor issue compared to OP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Yup, this. When DD's school got ridiculous when she was still in public school, I told her to walk out the door if it got unbearable. She kept a cell phone hidden in her pants pocket and on silent if she needed to reach me. I agree with a previous poster that this calls for school board level action, but in the meantime, ask your dentist/doctor to work with you on time stamping the notes so that they circumvent the problem. Most doctors/dentists understand how to work this. If your doctor won't work with you on this, there are note templates you can print off online. Jus' sayin'.... Those types of policies would get me making a stink on a regular basis. Allowing a child to go hungry is unacceptable. If theschool doesnt want a negative balance then they need to call the parent and make sure they bring the kid food. And to not allow being picked up because of an emergency at anytime is stupid. In your case, I would make sure your children had their phones on them at all times so I could get ahold of them and tell them to just walk out of class if I needed them right then and there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 They are stupid like that around here. If you end up in the hospital, they send someone to your hospital bed with crap like standardized tests. I wish I were kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 They are stupid like that around here. If you end up in the hospital, they send someone to your hospital bed with crap like standardized tests. I wish I were kidding. :jawdrop: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 My olders attended/attend public high school. No, this does not happen at their school. I have friends with kids in nearby high schools and never heard of rules like this. It sound like the administration is on some sort of power trip. I'd be looking at attendance rules for the district and contacting my school board rep. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 We have some similar rules. No check back in is for the ability to know where students are in real time and is to prevent the dopeheads from returning. There are many costly legal ramifications if they are on school property high, or out transacting in the parking lot and its less costly to close the campus. Nurse handles clothing changes if student hasnt a spare outfit in the locker. If student does, nurse handles pass. Classes are not to be disrupted unless emergency. Departing for the day is not an emergency, Students excused from class for ecs pre-arrange and depart without interruption, as do studemts with appointments. Parent delivered lunches are held until 3 minutes before the bell, when class will be interrupted. Usually people prearrange with child...kid, if you find you dont have your lunch, swing by the front desk on the way to the cafeteria and see if mom delivered. If not, your choice of free lunch, lunch credit, or begging. No cash for lunch line. Student gets one Iunch credit to use on his account. After that he ges donated lunch, which is a sandwich plus apple. State law is 12 or less unexcused absences per semester if credit is desired. School follow state law.In your situation, I would not pull children out of school all day for dentist if I could schedule on a non school day or afterschool. We have plenty of nonschool days, but if we did not, we would break the group up and get it done after school in batches. I believe the OP said that their dentist is an hour away. Several trips would be difficult and expensive time and gas wise. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 What happens if you go over your allotted days absent and grades are passing? The rules are made to keep kids in school partly because they need the federal funding.I think I can explain a bit what goes on in my area. First of all, a student doesn't just surprisingly go over permissible number of absences. The state requires that each district have a system of warning letters, parent conferences, etc. A student who simply disappears from school can face suspension, but there is a long chain of events, appeals, due process and so on. But the school has licensed social workers who try to identify and help students before problems get too overwhelming. I heard a talk on how students could be referred and was amazed that there were a couple of dozen county programs I was unfamiliar with which offered all kinds of help. On a less serious level, kids can simply be stressed out. I can't speak for all school systems, but our nurses are great if a parent calls and explains. Or if a kid goes to the nurse and says he/she is totally exhausted and needs a nap. The nurse calls down to a teacher and explains that a kid will be missing/late for a class. But you, as a parent, have to let your kid know how the system works. Playing hooky never helps, while going to a nurse or guidance counselor does. (We have good schools here. I know this is not the case for everyone.) A student who is absent for good reason, like illness, has some options. The school pays for instruction in the hospital. The hospital I am familiar with has hospital based teachers. Two hours of work counts as one day for the student. If a student is sick at home, the school pays for home instruction at/after ten continuous days. If a student has had a serious illness, guidance will work with teachers to reduce the amount of make up work, if necessary. ETA. As far as I know, my district has not received Federal funding, although this year there are some changes to the way funds are allocated and there should now be a small amount. Also, in common with most suburban districts in my state, state funding is small, less than 5% of budget. Of course, no one wants to lose any funding at all, lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Then keep a pair of thin sweat pants in their back pack. Just like you would do at work, if you knew it was a possible problem and needed a solution. I had very irregular cycles, so I get it.I would have had to carry a change every day, just in case. But carrying a pair in the backpack is a simple solution that doesn't require the kid to go home. When there are no lockers, students' backpacks are full of books, binders and notebooks. It's difficult to squeeze in a change of clothes on the off chance the student may need it. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 This is the part that varies. There are NO afterschool hours in many places. Spycar, you live somewhere where you are blessed with such a thing. You probably also have weekend hours. Some don't. But, yes, I agree with hitting up on things in the summer. Orthodontists though, that is a difficult one for some as mentioned by a poster above. Yes, we have exactly one orthodontist in the tri county area serving 117,000 people. Do the math. And this guy doesn't like to work evenings so the practice closes at 4:30 pm so he can be home in the city - 1 hr 20 min drive each way - for dinner with his family. Except for an on-call dentist for emergencies, local dentists are not open during Thanksgiving, Christmas, or spring breaks because the practitioners like to be off when their kids are off school. They also close on federal holidays like Veterans' Day and MLK Day too so parents are plum out of luck then. The one day in the school year that the parent might get a break is the first day of deer season because so many teachers save a vacation day for that it became easier just to close school down. Let us see, one peditrician in the tri county area with over 2200 patients, one physical therapy center that opens at 7:30 am and closes at 4 pm with no evening hours, and nearly all specialists are an hour away. And in conversation this past autumn with the high school principal who happens to have the same GP we do, he said it was a good thing ds was not enrolled in his school because physical therapy is not an excused absence nor were his numerous surgical check ups at the orthopedic surgeon who put his leg back together. (1.25 hrs each way to the surgeon's office without sitting there waiting, then the x rays, then the consult.) I did not say to him, " Good thing my kids are not incarcerated in your penitentiary Mr. Warden, sir!" But that is what I was thinking. Actually even worse because he was there during school hours under no threat of punishment, but the students he is supposed to care about (fat chance of that) would be penalized for the same. The funeral policy would make even the most draconian Greek ruler blush in embarassment. By the way, despite their stellar attendance stats, scores continue to plummet. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 They are stupid like that around here. If you end up in the hospital, they send someone to your hospital bed with crap like standardized tests. I wish I were kidding. Same here. I am neither jesting nor fibbing when I say that they took standardized tests to the bedside of a dying girl - brain tumor and on hospice. I know the hospice nurse threw them out! Love, love, love that woman! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 It's great to look for solutions to problems that are likely to reoccur, but the PP's example about the girl who needed to go home to change sounds like a one-time accident that she couldn't have predicted and would have been no big deal at all if the school had a reasonable policy. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 The dentist needs to plan for that. Every dentist I have ever seen saves the school holidays for kids appointments and tries to schedule adults during the day, unless they need a later appointment. If they aren't trying to work within the availability of students, then the dentist doesn't really want your student's business. A cleaning doesn't have to magically be done at 6months, just some time after that. When I schedule my kids dentist appointments, I just look at the school schedule and make it on one of the days he/she is available, isn't a big deal. Missing school, is like missing work. It is a big deal. It reduces learning and that is why the kids are there in the first place. I don't understand why it seems less important than a dental cleaning. My daughter did have braces. We scheduled after school, before school and on lunch. She was in braces for a couple extra months because of finding available appointments, but it wan't a big deal. She did miss school on the day she got them removed because the ortho surprised her and said she could get them off a month early. The ortho requires a day time appointment to have enough time to get them off. I scheduled it as late as possible in the day and she went home afterwards. But that is a once in a lifetime appointment, so I dont think it will a reoccurring problem. LOL Tap, these two things don't match. How are the adults supposed to take up the daytime appointments if they don't miss work? Regular dental and medical care is as important as an education. As an adult, I have never worked anywhere that did not allow for time off for a dentist or doctor appointment, even in service jobs that meant trying to get someone else to cover my shift. Dh just marks his appointments on his calendar and off he goes, with the understanding that he will get any information missed and complete his work in a timely manner despite the missed time. I would expect that high school students be given the same respect. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 When there are no lockers, students' backpacks are full of books, binders and notebooks. It's difficult to squeeze in a change of clothes on the off chance the student may need it. Maybe yours are smaller than ours. The kids have a half size locker that is about 2.5 feet tall. They sell little shelves made for lockers so putting a gallon size zipper bag with a pair of pants in it under the shelf, would fit just fine. My kids were in advanced classes with 50lb backpacks with chemistry and other 2inch thick books. They didn't have a problem fitting thier things if they kept it organized. They didn't have to cram a heavy winter coat in theirs because they just wore a light weight one at school. So I guess that could make a difference. If they have a sports backpack, to carry around that would also be an option. For 2 years of high school here, everyone also has a PE locker. That is a 12 cubes size but is plenty big for a girls pair of emergency pants. I am not trying to say there aren't unique situations at every school......but what I am saying is that if a person wants to find a solution, there is usually one to be found! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I wonder about the cost of enforcing some of these rules, particularly schools that are pursuing legal action or sending tests to the hospital. (????Wha????) Yikes. Crazytown. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Same here. I am neither jesting nor fibbing when I say that they took standardized tests to the bedside of a dying girl - brain tumor and on hospice. I know the hospice nurse threw them out! Love, love, love that woman!Is any of this in Florida? I did read about a kid who was about to get a test, but died first. And I saw a video about another kid, blind and with no cognitive function, who was tested. His test was in the video. The teacher was close to tears, the principal in his special ed school was begging lawmakers for no tests. It was heartbreaking. Do NOT get me started on standardized testing! But that is a different subject. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/03/12/video-kids-with-severe-disabilities-taking-mandatory-standardized-test/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Same here. I am neither jesting nor fibbing when I say that they took standardized tests to the bedside of a dying girl - brain tumor and on hospice. I know the hospice nurse threw them out! Love, love, love that woman! That is unconscionable. I know they need tests and all that for funding or whatnot, but it's still unconscionable that they would do something like that. I'm grateful that RN's are pretty darn tough about things like that. Good for her! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Do NOT get me started on standardized testing! But that is a different subject. I'm not sure it is a completely separate subject. If you have to get good test scores for federal funding, and you can't teach kids the information they need to score well, or at least not abysmally, if their butts aren't in the seats, and you have to test all students whether they've been attending or not, then funding becomes tied to attendance even more than with a simple head count=$$ kind of way. I still don't think it excuses rules that place the letter of the law over the spirit, but I can see why schools might be desperate to get kids/families to stop treating school like the place they go when there's nothing better to do that day. Those kinds of rules penalize those who already care anyway, and don't really cause a lot of distress for the folks who inspired the rules in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Tap, these two things don't match. How are the adults supposed to take up the daytime appointments if they don't miss work? Regular dental and medical care is as important as an education. As an adult, I have never worked anywhere that did not allow for time off for a dentist or doctor appointment, even in service jobs that meant trying to get someone else to cover my shift. Dh just marks his appointments on his calendar and off he goes, with the understanding that he will get any information missed and complete his work in a timely manner despite the missed time. I would expect that high school students be given the same respect. We have. My husband worked one job that had him working 7days a week for two years straight. The only times he didn't have to go in were days where he could not crawl out of bed he was so sick or he was injured and we were in the ER. The ONLY other time he got off was if I was in labour. They did not have to allow him any other time off and they didn't. It was a write up if he took time off. Gotta love Right-to-Work states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 First I'd be checking state education laws to make sure they are acting in accordance with state law. Second I'd be contacting the superintendent of the school district. Make sure that he/she is aware of your concerns. Through the years we've learned in our district that sometimes unreasonable policies are being carried out without everyone being on the same page. If the superintendent is on board, start contacting school board members via phone or email. If they're all on board with the policies, invite other parents to address the school board with you at a public meeting so the press will be sure and pick up the story. School districts don't like bad PR. If school board opts to continue with unreasonable policies, join in efforts to vote them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Tap, these two things don't match. How are the adults supposed to take up the daytime appointments if they don't miss work? Regular dental and medical care is as important as an education. As an adult, I have never worked anywhere that did not allow for time off for a dentist or doctor appointment, even in service jobs that meant trying to get someone else to cover my shift. Dh just marks his appointments on his calendar and off he goes, with the understanding that he will get any information missed and complete his work in a timely manner despite the missed time. I would expect that high school students be given the same respect. Not all workers work M-F 8-3 like kids do. I have 3 days off in the middle of the week. Dh is supposed to take an extra day off periodically due to covering weekends every 6 weeks. In the pharmacy field, it is uncommon for someone to have a 9-5 M-F job. Anyone who works in retail, or hospitality likely has a weekday off periodically, if not on a regular basis. I know there are many who do, but I can't think of many friends who work a M-F 9-5 job any more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 They are stupid like that around here. If you end up in the hospital, they send someone to your hospital bed with crap like standardized tests. I wish I were kidding. OH MY GOODNESS. Are you serious? This is so funny to anyone who has ever home-schooled. It just doesn't matter. A well kid can make up stuff quickly, especially a smart kid. That whole "5 full days a week" thing isn't even necessary at all. They act like it is the END OF THE WORLD if a kid misses a couple of classes one week, when many of them in regular schools move at a snail's pace anyway. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I'm not sure it is a completely separate subject. If you have to get good test scores for federal funding, and you can't teach kids the information they need to score well, or at least not abysmally, if their butts aren't in the seats, and you have to test all students whether they've been attending or not, then funding becomes tied to attendance even more than with a simple head count=$$ kind of way. I still don't think it excuses rules that place the letter of the law over the spirit, but I can see why schools might be desperate to get kids/families to stop treating school like the place they go when there's nothing better to do that day. Those kinds of rules penalize those who already care anyway, and don't really cause a lot of distress for the folks who inspired the rules in the first place. You are right of course. I meant that testing was a different subject from what the thread started out as. I didn't mean to start a rabbit trail, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 OH MY GOODNESS. Are you serious? This is so funny to anyone who has ever home-schooled. It just doesn't matter. A well kid can make up stuff quickly, especially a smart kid. That whole "5 full days a week" thing isn't even necessary at all. They act like it is the END OF THE WORLD if a kid misses a couple of classes one week, when many of them in regular schools move at a snail's pace anyway. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/joey-furlong-state-test-hospital-new-york_n_3193933.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 https://www.typingclub.com/ I don't understand. What am I supposed to be looking at here? It seems like the front page of a typing program? Oops, I clicked on "Getting started" and now I am literally laughing out loud. My 8 year old could have done this in a heartbeat. Just for fun, I jumped to the last lesson. I've been typing for 40 years and am darn good (according to this test - and I'm out of practice - 88 wpm with 99% accuracy). Here is the portion I am supposed to type INCLUDING ALL OF THE TYPOS in the text itself. It doesn't even make sense! i drive everyday as good as dave who developed leadership qualities to moved overhead of other drivers moreover he moved overhead of other drivers moreover he work with kids every time I think I am glad I taught my kids myself. Geez, at least I can create a grammatical sentence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Schedule appointments on school days off or after school. Long holiday weekends, Christmas Break, Spring Break are easy times to do these types of things. Dental cleaning appointments are not an emergency and I don't think a high school student shouldn't be missing school for it anyways. I would never miss work for an appointment that can be scheduled after work, high school is the same. Find a different dentist that is closer for him if you need to. My dh and I both schedule appointments during the work day as needed. That's why we have PTO/personal days, IMO. Work/life balance is a very high priority for both of us, and thus have jobs that allow us a degree of reasonable flexibility for personal matters. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I don't understand. What am I supposed to be looking at here? It seems like the front page of a typing program? Oops, I clicked on "Getting started" and now I am literally laughing out loud. My 8 year old could have done this in a heartbeat. LOL yeah that was the last link I coppied I fixed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 FWIW, I can't usually schedule my Thanksgiving born DD's annual well child visit much after Halloween or before early February because so many parents try to schedule during that holiday period, where either the kids are off school, or where often schools are a little more tolerant of absences because of special events (and, in elementary school, often it's a break between thr fall pre-test season and the Spring "these really count" season). the same with several weeks right before school starts and right as it lets out-and any school holiday. I'm half convinced the early release one day a week some schools and the random half-days schools do is to attempt to accommodate pediatricians, dentists, and orthodontists! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 No, not Florida. Rural lower peninsula of Michigan...sigh.There are districts on the west side of the state that are a million times better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 They are stupid like that around here. If you end up in the hospital, they send someone to your hospital bed with crap like standardized tests. I wish I were kidding. That is outrageous. Just ridiculous! I think schools are forgetting that *they* work for the community. I think they assign themselves some sort of oversight of children which is extremely over the line. They certainly have overblown their importance in a child's life. If someone showed up at my child's hospital bed with a standardized test, I would invoke my parental right to throw him or her OUT (with security if need be,) in what would probably be a scene that would make me forget my manners and might end up on youtube. I am not proud of my temper, but it gets the job done in some situations. I can't believe any parent puts up with that. If more pushed back instead of being afraid to be "that parent" this would resolve itself pretty quickly. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 That is outrageous. Just ridiculous! I think schools are forgetting that *they* work for the community. I think they assign themselves some sort of oversight of children which is extremely over the line. They certainly have overblown their importance in a child's life. If someone showed up at my child's hospital bed with a standardized test, I would invoke my parental right to throw him or her OUT (with security if need be,) in what would probably be a scene that would make me forget my manners and might end up on youtube. I am not proud of my temper, but it gets the job done in some situations. I can't believe any parent puts up with that. If more pushed back instead of being afraid to be "that parent" this would resolve itself pretty quickly. Yeah and another thing I don't understand is that per state regulation parents can opt their kids out of standardized testing. Except apparently individual districts make their own rules. My district does not allow it. I don't understand how they can make their own rules. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Yeah and another thing I don't understand is that per state regulation parents can opt their kids out of standardized testing. Except apparently individual districts make their own rules. My district does not allow it. I don't understand how they can make their own rules. Hmmm, sounds like the individual districts need to get some push-back. They usually try to include language to scare parents in vague ways into taking the standardized tests, by giving partial truths about the law. If I had kids in school I would have a stroke...this stuff drives me crazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Even in places where dentists keep off hours and stay open school holidays and no one need drive an hour for the orthodontist, not everyone can access that care. My sons go to a swank dentist who can see them both at the same time and has weekend hours 2x a month. They've never waited for more than 5 minutes for their appointments. My sons also have gold plated medical and dental insurance because my husband works at a hospital and I deemed that paying more for better coverage was worth it. My niece and nephew OTOH can only see one of a handful of dentists in the area which take their state dental insurance. You get an appointment when they give you the appointment. The appointment time is a rough approximation. I take them to the dentist. We have easily spent 3 hours there just for 2 kids to be seen. My nephew needed extensive restorative work. They are open 4 weekdays and the close early. You do what you gotta do. It's easy for people who have never had first hand experience with limited access to care to say it's just a matter of making a more convenient appointment. Judging by the number of school kids on free lunch, many probably do not have the same options that are being glibly suggested here. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANURSEPRAC Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Yikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 For goodness sakes, how long has school been in session? A week? Two weeks? The school calendars are not secret. Need a teeth cleaning? Then schedule it before school starts. That is how responsible parents of school aged children deal. This is crazy! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Maybe yours are smaller than ours. The kids have a half size locker that is about 2.5 feet tall. They sell little shelves made for lockers so putting a gallon size zipper bag with a pair of pants in it under the shelf, would fit just fine. My kids were in advanced classes with 50lb backpacks with chemistry and other 2inch thick books. They didn't have a problem fitting thier things if they kept it organized. They didn't have to cram a heavy winter coat in theirs because they just wore a light weight one at school. So I guess that could make a difference. If they have a sports backpack, to carry around that would also be an option. For 2 years of high school here, everyone also has a PE locker. That is a 12 cubes size but is plenty big for a girls pair of emergency pants. I am not trying to say there aren't unique situations at every school......but what I am saying is that if a person wants to find a solution, there is usually one to be found! I'm sure it's easy for some kids to fit their clothes in their backpack, but this wasn't the case with my daughter last year. She had a very large backpack (the biggest that Vera Bradley carries) that had to be strategically packed so that it could zip shut. Two of her teachers required 2 inch binders, one a 1.5 inch binder, and the rest required composition notebooks or spiral notebooks and poly 1" binder, plus she had to carry her water bottle. There is no way an extra change of clothes, even a pair of pants would have fit in that backpack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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