I received notification today from our outstanding Caddo Parish School Board, or "Skool Boad" as they say on the phone, that because our oldest son has missed 4 days of school out of roughly 85 so far we will have a hearing at Juvenile Court. Yippie! I am excited! Why? Because I can't wait to have to justify my son missing two days due to vomiting, one day to go to the State Fair with his little brother's class, and another day because he was sick. "Do you have a doctor's excuse or medical proof as to his illness on said days?" they may ask. No will be my reply. I refuse to take my child to a germ-infested emergency room every time he coughs or sneezes. I am his dad and I determine the best care for my son. "No you do not Mr. Mills. The Social Services shall determine if you gave your child proper care." they may respond. People do you see what is happening right before our very eyes? In some form or another the government is interfering in our lives and we are losing control. Especially for those of us who have chosen to keep our children in public school (my decision based on the fact my taxes already pay for it). I am forced to justify 4 absenses? You are kidding me right? This letter from Donnis Bozeman with Child Welfare and Attendance for the Caddo School Board is a prank right? Nope. It is authentic.
Attendance is the rule, YOU MUST ABIDE AND OBEY! YOU WILL MARCH IN LOCK STEP! Speaking of rules the school board is supposed to call a hearing in the case of 10 absenses, but who is counting right? 4 or 10 it is all the same. Parents are called to appear in Court and justify their actions as parents. On the other hand there are children who are neglected, abused and have terrible parents who never appear in court. I really can't wait to have my "day in court". Yes it will be incovenient and stressful to have to go through all of this for four days missed from school, but I will speak my piece. Call your school board representative and tell them how ridiculous this is and a waste of the 44 cent stamp, the paperwork, the court costs, etc.
8 comments:
Chad, I know that I may not be totally unbiased in this opinion, but when you have so many students that abuse the system (weeks out of school for Disney trips, Europe, etc.) and then the parents want the teachers to bend over backwards to help with missed lessons and make-up work, it becomes old really quickly. The number one reason for failures is absenteeism. So they had to crack down on it to hold the parents accountable. You wouldn't believe how many parents don't know/don't care if their kids are skipping school.
Shannon, I agree with most of what you said. But think about this...if every student who has 4 absenses in every Caddo Parish school is referred to Juvenile Court they have created a monster that will not die easily. The courts are going to get more crowded than they already are. My oldest son is in 1st grade. Four absenses? Seriously, do you consider that excessive as of 12/10/09? I do not.
Our generation is so used to government run schools that we don't usually question their authority. God gave authority for children-raising to the PARENTS. If I want to take my kids to Disney for a trip they'll remember forever who is the government to tell me no? When we first started schools in this counry the parents hired the teachers and they could keep their kids home without any justification. Somehow, they still became a goldly, hard-working generation.
I know it's unfair to have to pay for your kids' school twice if you homeschool, but doing it at home is not that expensive and well worth the better education and not dealing with 4 stupid absenses!
Nah, I don't consider it excessive, but sometimes the only way to get a parent to actually "parent" is to hold them accountable. The courts will be crowded in the beginning, but parents will hate the inconvenience of having to go to court for absences. Students who have a habit of "my stomach hurts" on test days will now either go to a doctor or go to court.
If my child is ILL, I'm taking her to the physician. She knows this.
The Disney issue? If you arrange for your child to get all make-up work completed BEFORE you leave, not during or after, then I don't see a problem with it. But when you return, and you dump a weeks worth of make-up work on a teacher who has already graded everyone else's work, that just sucks.
Chad, I could not agree more. The government does not trust parents to raise their children or school them properly. You must be answerable to them because they know best what and how to teach your children, not you.
Homeschooling is such a blessing to us, we don't mind one bit paying school taxes too. It is well worth the expense.
As soon as you surrender control to the government for ANYTHING, they get to call all the shots. We don't have to ask permission for anything while homeschooling. We teach our children what we want, when we want, and our children's schooling has a very God-centered, biblical world view. It is so refreshing to watch our children learn about the world God created through the biblical perspective.
I would strongly encourage you to give it more consideration...prayerfully asking what the Lord's will is. I'm sure whatever he leads you to do is best.
Derek
They have picked on the wrong parent. I will certainly speak my mind and voice my opinions. Central Office and Bureacracies in general are breeding grounds for Little Hitlers. I'm even getting word the notification may have been sent in error. Are you kidding me? Incompetence. Plain and simple. This is who we have running our schools? Our school boards? They place such high standards on the students and then want us to bow to their authority and not ask questions. They are in for a rude awakening.
I hope you fight the good fight and win, but I'm not optomistic. This is happening everywhere all at once and its not just education. Taxes, healthcare, abortion, welfare...think about when you're being prosecuted for not making the medical decisions for your kids the government mandates.
The schoolboard has the courts and state governments on their side. You're one decenting parent in a sea of bureaucracy. You'll likely be told to sit down and shut up, but I sincerely hope otherwise.
Reason #436 not to send your kids to public school...
Derek
UPDATE...Spoke with the principal this morning. He is even more frustrated than I am. The attendance records are now tracked electronically by an Attendance Czar. The letters are generated automatically without the local school even knowing about it. The letters used to be sent out when a student missed 15 days. That didn't work, it made ... See Moreno difference in the attendance rates. So their solution was to threaten court action at 5 days (sometimes 4). It is a threat. I will not be given a court hearing. They are hoping a threat will do the trick. Are you kidding? I thought making threats in this day and age was forbidden. Don't write checks you can not cash right? What if parents made threats to School Board members? Or Administrators at Central Office? No one likes hearing "You are scheduled to appear in court" or "A court representative will schedule your hearing". But its all hot air? This has got to stop. Call your school board representative and tell him what's on your mind.
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