indiana territory

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Let's suppose you have a child who has had perfect attendance at school for multiple years, but one year falls afoul of colds, flu and infection. Let's say you keep the ill and quite possibly contagious child home from school. Well, guess what? You will get a letter from the school system warning you about your child's absences and mentioning that, by the way, this could lead to your child being suspended, Saturday school and, yes, even the court system. Doctor's excuses do not count for a thing.

It does not matter if the child is consistently on the honor roll; it does not matter if his/her temperature was 105. It is an absence. But say, you know what the school does if a kid comes to the nurse's office complaining of feeling ill? If the temperature is 100 or over, he/she is sent home.

I do not agree with this policy. I do not like to think healthy kids are sitting next to sick kids because their parents are afraid of the new consequences of illness. I am not going to put a historically political label on the this policy, but I can think of some and they are not good.

Stay home because your head really hurts and your neck is stiff? Don't be silly - it probably isn't menningitis. Your doctor may want to test for it - but it had better be after school hours or the kid will be counted absent.

posted by Jody @ 2:57 PM