posted
So we get this notice in the mail that the parent of Emily must appear in court for an Early Warning Truancy violation program.
We have no clue what they're talking about, because well, she's in school every day unless she's home sick or otherwise with me. I don't think a six year old is skipping school without my knowledge.
But, you don't ignore a summons from a judge, so this morning Wes went to court to find out what was going on.
The judge began by taking roll (there were 60 parents there) The parents not present (12 of them) had bench warrants for their arret immediately issued.
Two parents who didn't bring their kids with them and weren't able to tell the judge where the kids were, were arrested on the spot.
Then the judge gets to Wes.
"Why is your child not here?" (apparently the child was supposed to appear with the parent)
"She's in school."
"She was supposed to appear, I'll have to issue a juvenile arrest warrant."
Wes says "For a six year old?"
Judge: "Six? Oh, well she's not in my jurisdiction this law only applies to 7-18 year olds."
*throws up hands*
So then Wes leaves after sitting through the lecture of what is going to happen to us if Emily is absent unexcused or tardy any more, basically, that we'll be arrested, and child welfare services will be involved. The judge tells Wes "We can't do anything legally to you because of her age, but she will be expelled from school."
As you can imagine, he was a bit shook up.
So, he goes by the school to find out what's the hades is going on. See, Natalie has been out about the same amount (they both missed time when their grandfather died and we had to travel to the funeral, but I notified the school about it) and if Emily's ever late so is Natalie, more so because I drop Natalie off second. But Natalie wasn't being considered truant.
The assistant principal sits down and explains that our county has one of the worst rates of school attendance problems in the nation, and this judge has made it a personal crusade of his because there is a direct correlation between school attendance and criminal behavior. No real argument there from me.
Then, assistant principal explains that Emily was referred for tardies, she had been late 10 times. Wes says "I don't understand, if she misses the bus and my wife brings her to school, she signs her in. How is she tardy?"
Assistant principal says "Well, even if the parent signs her in, she's tardy."
But Wes is thinking, we don't bring the kid to school at 8:30 or anything. We usually are there by 8:00, what's the deal?
Assitant principal then pulls her record and says "Oh, your wife signed her in either at 8:00 or before. So, she wasn't tardy those days, we need to take these off the books."
*slaps forehead*
Then Wes says, well, if that's the case, then that makes sense why the other child wasn't counted tardy. But, he asks what can we do to keep ourselves from winding up in front of Judge Crusader again?
Assistant principal: "Actually, we were supposed to have called you in for a parent/teacher conference when she got 8 tardies and we didn't do it. We would have caught this error then - so I guess I have to apologize, this is our fault."
Happy ending, but a very frustrating time. Then, to top things off, I sprained my ankle this morning. Again. Same ankle. Three times now, in three weeks. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
No, the judge gave them excuses to get back in school. Excused tardies are accompanied by a notice from a doctor or the court system.
I've learned the terminology now. I had no idea that being absent to attend their grandfather's funeral in another state was down as an "unexcused" absence. Can you believe that? Even though I called the school and said "They're going to be absent the next two days" and explained what happened, and sent a note with them the day they came back, they still counted it unexcused because there was no court order or doctor's note.
So, when you add those unexcused absences she's had with the tardies - that was what got us into trouble.
I was diligently signing her in so that she wouldn't be in trouble on the days we missed the bus, but turns out that is what got us. If I had not signed her in, and just sent her to class, the teacher wouldn't have counted her tardy, since she was on time. But when they're doing attendance records, if the child has been signed in at the office, they count it.
*shakes head*
I will say the assistant principal was real nice about the whole thing. Said it was a complete misunderstanding, I wasn't aware that signing her in meant I was putting her down for a tardy. And, admitted they were supposed to call us and they dropped the ball. So, we're not in trouble, Judge Crusader is not going to issue any warrants. Wes said the guy was really scary! He was brutal with the parents of the older kids.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Wow. The world's changed a heck of a lot. When I was 16 I missed at least 40 days of school because of car accidents, mono, various sports-related injuries. That sort of thing. Nobody seemed to miss a beat.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I read the title I feared Belle was being caught for being a few years late for you last day of preschool.
You don't crush the Beaurocracy with a mallet. You shred the red tape with scissors, a machette, or preferably, a bloddy chainsaw.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I do think the Judge has his heart in the right place. It's true there is a link between tardiness and crime, but jeez, a 6-year old is an issue?
posted
Yeah -- the whole excused/unexcused really ticks me off.
I went round-and-round about this at our local high school when my oldest was in school. It was coming up on summer, and he was scheduled to take driver's ed. You can't take Driver's Ed without an IP (Instructional Permit) license. So I pulled him out of half a day of school to take him into town to get his IP -- required for a SCHOOL course. I personally signed him out and gave reason, etc.
EDIT: Couldn't do this after school -- drivers license bureau was open only a short time each day, and only limited days of the week, and not able to get there outside of school hours before they close.
Turns out that was "unexcused"
Anything that wasn't listed in the high school policy handbook as a valid "excused" reason, counts as unexcused. Doesn't matter if the parent is fully involved, picks thems up and delivers them or whatever -- The school overrides the parent -- it is unexcused.
The principal said "well, because some parents would pull their kids out of school just to go shopping or whatever" -- abusers of the system.
Sickness is an excused absence.
So I said, "Okay -- so you are promoting, bascially, that good parents have to LIE to the school system and say their kids are sick, when they really aren't, but need to be out for dire family reasons of any sort." Obviously -- poor parents (that would pull their kids out to go shopping) would have no problem lying and saying they are sick. But those of us who don't WANT to lie and want to tell the truth are instead punished for that.
And I always though parent had higher authority over the kid than the school -- if the kid is with the parent -- how can the school call that unexcused?
Anyway -- my rant didn't get me much of anywhere, but they did clarify some on school policy in next handbook, and now certain family things (trips) are excused.
posted
Sorry screechowl -- didn't mean to tread on you there, as a high school principal.
By the way -- my above rant was also at a high school principal -- but he and I are very good friends, and I know that the school board really made the policy -- he is just doing his best to uphold what he has to.
Please don't take it as a slam against school principals.
posted
The world's changed A LOT...and only in two years, since then year I graduated from high school (2002) I missed a heck of a lot of days without a doctor or court excuse note, and I never heard a thing about it.
Posts: 3516 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
No problem. I just thought there might be some who did not know that NCLB also extends to attendance and graduation rates, etc.
I do not like having to enforce what parents out to be responsible for, but so many parents are not responsible.
Posts: 440 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Let me get this straight, the judge ordered you to bring your child to court on a school day to talk to you about your child missing too much school?
Then you found out that the school's record keeping is at fault?
Here's what you do:
1) Demand a letter of apology from the school and the Superintendent of Schools.
2) Take that letter to the judge. Demand a meeting with him at a time convenient for you. If he won't do it, go to the press. In fact, go to the press anyway. It'd be a delicious story they'd just love to cover.
3) Demand a written expungement of any record that you were EVER summoned to his court. If you don't get it, write to the Administrative Office of the Courts, or whoever it is that oversees judges in your state. Write to the governor if this guy is an appointee.
I'm all for his crusade, but GDI, there is no excuse for handling it in such a slap-dash fashion. And any record of this should not appear in your child's file. That's horrible!
I would see a lawyer if you don't get all of 1-3 accomplished in less than a month!
Seriously, Belle, this is not a police state and you don't have to put up with crusaders labeling you or your kids. Threatening you with Child Services? I'd like to see how the newspaper deals with that one!!!
posted
Damn straight, Bob! I think you need to get very serious about this before it comes back to kick you in the behind.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote: Obviously -- poor parents (that would pull their kids out to go shopping)
Now obviously there are some parents out there who really don't care about their child's welfare but I think if a child is doing well in school and is generally responsible there is nothing wrong keeping them from school for a day to spend time together as a family. Now of course there will be extremists but geez, it is getting more difficult every day to spend time, and not just quantity time but quality time, with your family.
I find it quite worrisome the direction the government seems to be taking in regards to the family, ie: the school overrides the parents. More and more it seems parents don't know what is best for their own children--- a totally horrible thought. The state/govt can not raise a child properly. It doesn't take a village, it takes a family.
Posts: 1132 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
| IP: Logged |
posted
Belle - do what Bob said. Right down to the "t" - what happened was inexcusable.
I have to deal with the NCLB act, too - it is a crappy piece of beaurocracy and it will take parents banding together to scream to their ELECTED representatives to get it changes because the government IS NOT listening to the school districts.
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oh, my freaking God. Your story really makes me angry, Belle. It's...jebus...they are punishing you for things you didn't do and haven't done on the assumption that you will do it! What the holy, freak...gah...whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Who says if your child misses 90% of school that your kid will absolutely, positively turn out to be a criminal? How about the friggin state just arrest people when crime occurs and help people when they ask for help? Must everyone be judged by the worst that is in society even before it happens?
posted
Oh Belle! I sure hope things work out for you a little better. First you ankle, now this, and you ankle again. Geez, take it easy on you ankle a little! Wouldn't want any permanent damage.
Posts: 2102 | Registered: Dec 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, I did some reading on the policy in the county handbook. It's not in our school handbook, it's in the county handbook. Honestly I never really read the thing through, figuring that the really important stuff would be in the school handbook.
She was never supposed to have been in court. Any child under 12 was not required to appear. Only a parent. The purpose was supposed to be getting the parents to wake up and informing them of what is going on with their kids.
I talked to a friend in another school system (she's a resource teacher) and she said "Oh yeah, everybody knows that St Clair County schools are the worst about that stuff." So, it's unique to our county I suppose.
I asked her teacher about reporting tardies and she has only reported her once or twice, and wasn't aware there was a problem. So, it was all done out of the front office. When I signed her in, that automatically counted her as tardy, even though I was signing her in before she was actually late.
I feel like one of those parents that would go on the today show complaining that their child got suspended for taking Tylenol because the school instituted a "no tolerance" drug policy. I got caught up in something that was supposed to help prevent a problem, and the net was cast just a bit too wide.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am astonished, Belle. When I worked for Nexus, I dealt with truancy issues all the time. We had kids who were truant from cyber school, which is 10 hours a week in their houses! Some parents did need to be hauled into court, but they could not have been less like you and Wes.
I also had some discretion in reporting. For example, we had a few kids who were out because of a parent who was terminally ill. We generally excused them whenever they were absent and let them make up the classes whenever they could. We also turned a blind eye when one of them went to Hawaii with her mother. Frankly, I felt that special time with her mother (who died a week after they came back) was more important than her schoolwork.
I completely agree with Bob's steps. The system has failed you in a big way and needs to make amends.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote: So we get this notice in the mail that the parent of Emily must appear in court for an Early Warning Truancy violation program
If this is what you got in the mail, I don't understand why the judge would expect your CHILD to be there.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, well, she wasn't supposed to be there. I guess the judge just isn't used to dealing with 6 year olds.
I talked to the asst. principal myself this morning. The tardies are gone, it's as if it never happened. None of that stuff is in Emily's record, he said he removed their copy of the letter that was sent to us from her file. He is going to write a letter to the judge explaining that this was a paperwork error and ask that our names be taken off the early warning list. He'll send me a copy of that letter.
I don't want to take it any further, the school has apologized and I'm happy with that. They are going to make sure the judge knows we weren't at fault. That satisfies me.
I'm mellowing in my old age, I suppose. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
This kind of thing can be so frustrating, so I'm glad they handled it with such grace. At least the school had the sense to realize that admitting and correcting their blunder quickly was the best thing to do. Getting defensive only invites lawsuits, I think.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
